One of the many forms of short form cricket is Super 8s. The Super 8s is a defunct tournament devised by former Australian cricketer Greg Chappell. It was devised for domestic Australian cricketers who could not make the cut for the national side but by no means underperformed in their domestic careers.
The Super 8s matches are played either in small rectangular fields or rugby stadiums of Australia.
- Each team consists of eight players.
- An innings lasts for 14 overs. All players apart from the wicket-keeper must bowl at least one over, but not more than three overs.
- In routine professional cricket, if a batter hits a ball outside the boundary ropes before pitching, then it is called a six. However, this feature became an ‘eight’ in Super 8s. The umpires signalled an eight by making an X with closed fists with their arms raised.
- Batters have to retire if they score 50 runs. However, they can resume their innings if the rest of the wickets have fallen.
- If a team has lost seven wickets, then the eighth batter continues to bat, with the seventh batter becoming a runner.
The only international Super 8s tournament was played in 1997. It was played between six teams: Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia Invitational, and India. The final was won by Australia against South Africa.
Super 8s continues to be modified in the lower tiers of cricket. This includes club cricket, Under-18 competitions, and domestic men’s and women’s events. Australia continues to employ Super 8s in junior cricket.
