T10 Matches - How Cricket Is Becoming Quicker and Dirtier
Cricket matches continue to get shorter, allegedly to appeal to more viewers. But an increasing number of cricket leagues appear to only exist as betting vehicles.
It began with a no-ball—not just any no-ball, but one so outrageous it became an instant social media sensation.
On November 22, during a match between Morrisville Samp Army and the New York Strikers, Hazrat Bilal of the United Arab Emirates overstepped the bowling line. No-balls happen frequently in cricket, typically when a bowler crosses the line by a few centimeters.
However, Bilal’s error was far more dramatic—he overstepped by nearly a meter, an utterly egregious mistake at the professional level.
His Samp Army teammates, Faf du Plessis and Reece Topley, chuckled at the absurdity.
Online, fans and observers were not amused.
“We don’t know, obviously, but it follows a pattern. And this is a tournament that has already been besmirched—a tournament that’s already a bit filthy,” said Phil Walker, editor-in-chief of Wisden, cricket’s oldest publication, during a recent podcast.
Bilal’s no-ball was only the first controversy at this year’s Abu Dhabi T10.
Four days later, on November 26, former Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka delivered an equally questionable performance against the Delhi Bulls. In just one over, Shanaka bowled four no-balls out of six throws. The two legal deliveries were both smashed over the boundary for four runs each. In total, he conceded 33 runs in six balls.
For context, this would rank as the eighth-worst over in the history of first-class cricket.
While some might attribute this to bad luck or poor form, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit has opened an investigation into Shanaka’s performance.
Short History, Long Rap Sheet
The Abu Dhabi T10 tournament, launched in 2017, promises high-octane, short-format cricket. Each team bowls 60 balls, with matches wrapping up in about 90 minutes—a stark contrast to traditional formats, which can last from several hours to several days.
Despite its appeal to modern audiences, the tournament has been plagued by corruption allegations almost since its inception.
In 2019, it was revealed that two prominent Indian cricketers, previously arrested for match-fixing, owned teams in the Abu Dhabi T10, hinting at a broader network of corruption across cricket leagues.

In 2021, eight individuals associated with the Pune Devils team faced ICC charges for match-fixing. This included Bangladeshi cricketer Nasir Hossain, two co-owners of the team, two other players, the assistant coach, a batting coach, and the team manager. The co-owners were accused of betting on their team’s matches, while the players and staff allegedly worked to fix outcomes.
In 2023, Hossain received a two-year ban from cricket, while his teammate Rizwan Javed was handed an unprecedented 17-year ban—one of the harshest punishments in the sport’s history.
New Leagues Everywhere
The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), launched in 2008, set the stage for a wave of short-format cricket leagues. The IPL, a three-month, star-studded tournament, has become a global phenomenon, generating billions in media rights and attracting one of the largest audiences in sports.
Inspired by the IPL, numerous shorter tournaments have emerged, including the controversial T10 format. The ICC does not recognise this format, which means these leagues operate independently, raising concerns about governance and integrity.
“Is the anti-corruption going to be as robust as it could be? Having an anti-corruption official on the ground working in complete isolation from the ICC, not contacting the ICC to take advantage of their experience and intelligence doesn’t protect the league in the best way,” said Steve Richardson, the ICC’s former investigations coordinator, in an interview with The Telegraph.
The T10 Problem
T10 tournaments have drawn scrutiny for their murky connections to betting syndicates—both legal and illegal.
The format is not officially recognsed by the ICC, despite repeated lobbying for its inclusion. Without this, T10 leagues continue to rely on betting sponsorships, which are often controversial.
“The irony is that tournaments partly financed by the betting industry are organized from and largely aimed at countries where betting remains illegal but is widespread,” wrote sports journalist Steve Menary in the latest edition of cricket publication, Nightwatchman.
In his article, Menary described a tangled web of investment firms, cricket franchises, and betting sponsorships tied to T10 tournaments across the globe, from the USA to Zimbabwe and the UAE to the Cayman Islands.
With little regulation and minimal fan oversight, this web is only likely to grow.