A Twenty20 match between England and Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl on 15 June 2006

Twenty20, often abbreviated to T20, is a form of cricket originally introduced in England and Wales for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), in 2003. A Twenty20 game involves two teams, each has a single innings, batting for a maximum of 20 overs.

A Twenty20 game is completed in about three and half hours, with each innings lasts around 100 minutes (with a 10-20 minute interval), thus bringing the game closer to the timespan of other popular team sports. It was introduced to create a lively form of the game which would be attractive to spectators at the ground and viewers on television and as such it has been very successful. The ECB did not intend that Twenty20 would replace other forms of cricket and these have continued alongside it.

Since its inception the game has spread around the cricket world. On most international tours there is at least one Twenty20 match and all Test-playing nations have a domestic cup competition. The inaugural ICC World Twenty20 was played in South Africa in 2007 with India winning by five runs against Pakistan in the final.^[1] Pakistan won the second tournament in 2009,^[2] and England are the reigning champions after winning the 2010 title.

History[link]

Origins[link]

England batsman Andrew Strauss batting for Middlesex against Surrey

When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the ECB needed another one day competition to fill its place. Cricketing authorities were looking to boost the game's popularity with the younger generation in response to dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship. It was intended to deliver fast paced, exciting cricket accessible to thousands of fans who were put off by the longer versions of the game. Stuart Robertson, the marketing manager of the ECB, proposed a 20 over per innings game to county chairmen in 2001 and they voted 11–7 in favour of adopting the new format.^[3]

The first official Twenty20 matches were played on 13 June 2003 between the English counties in the Twenty20 Cup.^[4] The first season of Twenty20 in England was a relative success, with the Surrey Lions defeating the Warwickshire Bears by 9 wickets in the final to claim the title.^[5] The first Twenty20 match held at Lord's, on 15 July 2004 between Middlesex and Surrey, attracted a crowd of 27,509, the largest attendance for any county cricket game at the ground other than a one-day final since 1953.^[6]

Spread worldwide[link]

Overall 13 teams from different part of the country participated in the competition and Faisalabad Wolves team won the final. On 12 January 2005 Australia's first Twenty20 game was played at the WACA Ground between the Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers. It drew a sell-out crowd of 20,000, which was the first time in nearly 25 years the ground had been completely sold out.^[7]

Starting 11 July 2006 19 West Indies regional teams competed in what was named the Stanford 20/20 tournament. The event was financially backed by billionaire Allen Stanford, who gave at least US$28,000,000 funding money. It was intended that the tournament would be an annual event. Guyana won the inaugural event, defeating Trinidad and Tobago by 5 wickets, securing US$1,000,000 in prize money.^[8][9]

On 5 January 2007 Queensland Bulls played the New South Wales Blues at The Gabba, Brisbane. A crowd of 11,000 was expected based on pre-match ticket sales. However, an unexpected 16,000 turned up on the day to buy tickets, causing disruption and confusion for surprised Gabba staff as they were forced to throw open gates and grant many fans free entry. Attendance reached 27,653.^[10]

For 1 February 2008 Twenty20 match between Australia and India, 84,041^[11] people attended the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground involving the Twenty20 World Champions against the ODI World Champions.

The Stanford Super Series was held in October 2008 between Middlesex and Trinidad and Tobago, the respective winners of the English and Caribbean Twenty20 competitions, and a Stanford Superstars team formed from West Indies domestic players; Trinidad and Tobago won the competition, securing US$280,000 prize money.^[12][13] On 1 November, the Stanford Superstars played England in what was expected to be the first of five fixtures in as many years with the winner claiming a US$20,000,000 in each match. The Stanford Superstars won the first match,^[14] however no further fixtures were held as Allen Stanford was charged with fraud in 2009.^[15]

Twenty20 Internationals[link]

On 17 February 2005 Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men's full international Twenty20 match, played at Eden Park in Auckland. The game was played in a light-hearted manner – both sides turned out in kit similar to that worn in the 1980s, the New Zealand team's a direct copy of that worn by the Beige Brigade. Some of the players also sported moustaches/beards and hair styles popular in the 1980s taking part in a competition amongst themselves for best retro look, at the request of the Beige Brigade. Australia won the game comprehensively, and as the result became obvious towards the end of the NZ innings, the players and umpires took things less seriously – Glenn McGrath jokingly replayed the Trevor Chappell underarm incident from a 1981 ODI between the two sides, and Billy Bowden showed him a mock red card (red cards are not normally used in cricket) in response.

The first Twenty20 international in England was played between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on 13 June 2005, which England won by a margin of 100 runs, a record victory which lasted until 2007.^[16]

On 9 January 2006 Australia and South Africa met in the first international Twenty20 game in Australia. In a first, each player's nickname appeared on the back of his uniform, rather than his surname. The international match drew a crowd of 38,894 people at The Gabba. Australia convincingly won the match with man of the match Damien Martyn scoring 96 runs.

On 16 February 2006 New Zealand defeated West Indies in a tie-breaking bowl-out 3–0; 126 runs were scored apiece in the game proper. The game was the last international match played by Chris Cairns – NZC handed out life-size cardboard masks of his face to patrons as they entered the ground.

Every two years an ICC World Twenty20 tournament is to take place, except in the event of a ICC Cricket World Cup being scheduled in the same year, in which case it will be held the year before. The first tournament was in 2007 in South Africa where India defeated Pakistan in the final. Two Associate teams had played in the first tournament, selected through the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One, a 50-over competition. In December 2007 it was decided to hold a qualifying tournament with a 20-over format to better prepare the teams. With six participants, two would qualify for the 2009 World Twenty20 and would each receive $250,000 in prize money.^[17] The second tournament was won by Pakistan who beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in England on 21 June 2009. The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 tournament was held in West Indies in May 2010, where England defeated Australia by 7 wickets.

Impact on the game[link]

Twenty20 cricket is claimed to have resulted in a more athletic and "explosive" form of cricket. Indian fitness coach Ramji Srinivasan declared in an interview with the Indian fitness website Takath.com, that Twenty20 had "raised the bar" in terms of fitness levels for all players, demanding higher levels of strength, speed, agility and reaction time from all players irrespective of role in the team.^[18] Matthew Hayden credited retirement from international cricket with aiding his performance in general and fitness in particular in the IPL.^[19]

In June 2009, speaking at the annual Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist pushed for Twenty20 to be made an Olympic sport. "It would," he said, "be difficult to see a better, quicker or cheaper way of spreading the game throughout the world."^[20]

Match format and rules[link]

Format[link]

Twenty20 match format is similar to limited overs cricket in that it involves two teams, each with a single innings, the key difference being each team bats for a maximum of 20 overs. In terms of visual format, the batting team members do not arrive from and depart to traditional dressing rooms, but come and go from a "bench" (typically a row of chairs) visible in the playing arena, analogous to association football's "technical area" or a baseball "dugout".

Middlesex playing against Surrey at Lord's, in front of a 28,000-strong crowd

General rules[link]

The Laws of cricket apply to Twenty20, with some exceptions:

• Each bowler may bowl a maximum of only one-fifth of the total overs per innings. For a full, uninterrupted match, this is 4 overs.

• Should a bowler deliver a no ball by overstepping the popping crease, it costs 1 run and his next delivery is designated a "free-hit". In this circumstance the batsman can only be dismissed through a run out, hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field or handling the ball.

• The following fielding restrictions apply:
  • No more than five fielders can be on the leg side at any time.
  • During the first six overs, a maximum of two fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle (This is sometimes referred to as the powerplay).
  • After the first six overs, a maximum of five fielders can be outside the fielding circle.

• If the fielding team do not start to bowl their 20th over within 75 minutes, the batting side are credited an extra six runs for every whole over bowled after the 75 minute mark; the umpire may add more time to this if he believes the batting team are wasting time.

Tie deciders[link]

Currently, if the match ends with the scores tied and there must be a winner, the tie is broken with a one over per side "Eliminator"^[21] or "Super Over":^[22][23] Each team nominates three batsmen and one bowler to play a one-over per side "mini-match", sometimes referred to as a "One1".^[24][25] In turn, each side bats one over bowled by the one nominated opposition bowler, with their innings over if they lose two wickets before the over is completed. The side with the higher score from their Super Over wins.

Tied Twenty20 matches were previously decided by a "bowl-out".

International[link]

Twenty20 Internationals have been played since 2005. To date, 17 nations have played the format, including all test playing nations.

Nation	Date of T20I debut
Australia	17 February 2005
New Zealand	17 February 2005
England	13 June 2005
South Africa	21 October 2005
West Indies	16 February 2006
Sri Lanka	15 June 2006
Pakistan	28 August 2006
Bangladesh	28 November 2006
Zimbabwe	28 November 2006
India	1 December 2006
Kenya	1 September 2007
Scotland	12 September 2007
Netherlands	2 August 2008
Ireland	2 August 2008
Canada	2 August 2008
Bermuda	3 August 2008
Afghanistan	2 February 2010

T20 International Rankings[link]

In November 2011, the ICC released the first Twenty20 International rankings, based on the same system as the Test and ODI rankings. The rankings cover a 2 to 3 year period, with matches since the most recent 1 August weighted fully, matches in the preceding 12 months weighted two-thirds, and matches in the 12 months preceding that weighted one-third. To qualify for the rankings, teams must have played at least eight Twenty20 Internationals in the ranking period.^[26]

Rank	Team	Matches	Points	Rating
1	England	14	1,811	129
2	South Africa	12	1,468	122
3	Sri Lanka	9	1,056	117
4	New Zealand	14	1,596	114
5	Pakistan	17	1,817	107
6	Australia	15	1,603	107
7	India	9	930	103
8	Ireland	10	946	95
9	West Indies	10	933	93
10	Afghanistan	6	500	83
11	Netherlands	5	321	64
12	Zimbabwe	9	463	51
13	Scotland	5	200	40
14	Canada	5	79	16
15	Kenya	6	75	13
Reference: ICC Rankings 1 April 2012

Domestic[link]

An Indian Premier League match commencing at the Chepauk Stadium between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders

This is a list of the main Twenty20 domestic competitions in each cricketing country.

Records[link]

These statistics are correct as of 26 February 2012 and include all first-class-equivalent level Twenty20 matches.

• Highest individual score – Brendon McCullum 158* (74) Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (2008 Indian Premier League)
• Highest team total – by Sri Lanka 260/6 (20 overs) vs Kenya 88/10 (19.3 overs) (2007 ICC World Twenty20)
• Most sixes in an innings – Graham Napier (Essex) 16 (2008 Twenty20 Cup)
• Most sixes in career – Chris Gayle 222
• Most runs in career - David Hussey 4301
• Most wickets in career- Dirk Nannes 178

• Highest partnerships for any wicket - Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh, 206 2nd wicket(2011 Indian Premier League)
• Fastest hundred – Andrew Symonds (Kent) 34 balls' (2004 Twenty20 Cup)
• Fastest fifty – Yuvraj Singh 12 balls (2007 ICC World Twenty20)
• Most hundreds – Chris Gayle 8 (3 for RCB, Barisal Burners, 1 for each West Indies, Sydney Thunder, Mountaineers cricket team)
• Best innings bowling figures – Arul Suppiah (Somerset) 6/5 in 3.4 Overs (2011 Friends Life t20)
• Most runs in one over – Chris Gayle 37, 6 balls 4 sixes 3 fours + 1 no ball (2011 Indian Premier League) against Kochi Tuskers Kerala's Prasanth Parameswaran

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Twenty20

• Cricinfo – Twenty20 records

Shaun Tait

Personal information
Full name	Shaun William Tait
Born	(1983-02-22) 22 February 1983 (age 29) Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Nickname	Sloon, Tinga, The Wild Thing
Height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Batting style	Right-hand bat
Bowling style	Right-arm fast
Role	Bowler
International information
National side	Australia
Test debut (cap 392)	25 August 2005 v England
Last Test	16 January 2008 v India
ODI debut (cap 162)	2 February 2007 v England
Last ODI	24 March 2011 v India
ODI shirt no.	32
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2002 -	South Australia
2004	Durham
2010	Glamorgan
2009–present	Rajasthan Royals
2011–present	Surrey
2011–present	Mid West Rhinos
2011–present	Melbourne Renegades
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	List A
Matches	3	35	50	98
Runs scored	20	25	509	109
Batting average	6.66	12.50	12.41	6.81
100s/50s	0/0	0/0	0/2	0/0
Top score	8	11	68	22*
Balls bowled	414	1,724	10,081	4,976
Wickets	5	73	233	206
Bowling average	60.40	24.11	30.00	23.43
5 wickets in innings	0	0	7	3
10 wickets in match	0	n/a	1	n/a
Best bowling	3/97	4/39	7/29	8/43
Catches/stumpings	1/–	8/–	15/–	23/–
Source: Cricinfo, 7 July 2011

Shaun William Tait (born 22 February 1983 in Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia) is a professional Australian cricketer, who currently plays only in the Twenty20 format. Tait plays domestic cricket for South Australia and is also a representative for Australia at Twenty20 International level; he has also represented his country in One Day Internationals and test matches. He is a right arm fast bowler.^[1] Tait retired from One Day International cricket on 28 March 2011, following Australia's early exit from the 2011 Cricket World Cup.

Bowling style[link]

Tait's delivery action is unique and marked by significant lateral twisting of the spine. The 'slingy' nature of his action has led to comparisons with former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson.^[2][3][4] Dubbed "The Wild Thing", Tait is considered one of the fastest bowlers in the world^[5][6] and delivers the ball with phenomenal speed, at around 150 km/h, and occasionally faster.^[7][8] At T20 international on 5 February 2010 against Pakistan Tait recorded a ball measured at 160.7 km/h, the fastest ball ever bowled in Australia.^[9][10] Despite his speed, Tait has often been described as "erratic" and is capable of bowling many extras.^[11] His unpredictability, however, is seen as a weapon to some, and his exceptional strike rate seems to confirm this.^[1][12] Tait has also been criticised as "expensive",^[13] however others have mentioned that this is irrelevant, as his main role as a "strike bowler" is to take wickets rather than keep the run rate down.^[14][15][16]

After a Twenty20 match against New Zealand on 11 December 2007, in which Tait troubled the batsmen and took 2/22,^[17] New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori and coach John Bracewell publicly raised doubts over the legality of Tait's bowling action.^[18] Tait labelled the comments as a "disgrace" and added that he'd be willing to undergo tests to prove his action is legal.^[19]

Domestic career[link]

First-class cricket[link]

Tait has represented South Australia for a majority of his first-class career, however has also played matches for Australia A and Durham.^[1] He has taken over 150 first-class wickets at a strike rate of under 50.^[1]

At the age of nineteen, Tait made his first-class debut for South Australia against Western Australia on 19 December 2002 at the Adelaide Oval. He only bowled in one innings on his debut, yet finished with respectable figures of 3/77 off 22.2 overs.^[20] Tait played 5 games in his first season, taking 20 wickets at an average of 22.55.^[21] As a result of his strong first season, Tait was awarded with a place at the Australian Cricket Academy alongside such players as Ben Hilfenhaus and Luke Ronchi.^[22]

In the 2003–04 season, Tait hit his highest score of 68 batting left handed. An in form Tait was selected in the Australia A team to take on the touring Indians. Tait took 3/85 in the Indians first innings, including the wicket of Virender Sehwag.^[23] Tait once again had a strong Pura Cup season, taking 30 wickets at 28.33. ^[24] This helped earn Tait Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year for 2004. He was further rewarded as he was named in Australia's squad to tour Sri Lanka after Brett Lee was ruled out through injury.^[25] While he did not play a match on the tour, his inclusion signalled that the Australian selectors saw him as a prospect for the future.

In July 2004, Tait was signed by Durham for the second half of the English County Championship season.^[26] His first match was against a Somerset side captained by Ricky Ponting. His County debut was a poor one and saw him take 0/113 off 12 overs including 21 no balls.^[27] Tait only played one more first-class match for Durham before flying home again.

Tait was rewarded with his first Cricket Australia contract for the 2004–05 season, being included ahead of Queensland fast bowler Andy Bichel.^[28] Tait repaid the selector's faith in him by having his best Pura Cup season to date. He took 65 first-class wickets at an average of 20.16,^[29] surpassing Clarrie Grimmett's record for most wickets in a season for a South Australian bowler.^[30] Perhaps Tait's best performance of the season was his spell of 7/99 against Queensland at the Adelaide Oval in November 2004 in which he claimed the wickets of Australian representatives Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Jimmy Maher, Andy Bichel and Nathan Hauritz.^[31] His record breaking season helped him gain a place on the Australian 2005 Ashes tour.^[32] On this tour, Tait made his Test debut, and played one other first-class match against Worcestershire.^[33]

Tait missed the opening half of the 2005–06 Pura Cup season with an injury to his right shoulder which he sustained on the 2005 Ashes tour.^[34] He struggled on his return taking only 14 wickets at 38.35 in the 4 matches he played.^[35] Despite this, Tait was still named a part of the Australia A squad to play in the 2006 Top End Series. While he failed to pick up any wickets against Pakistan A,^[36] he managed to take 3/67 in India A's first innings.^[37] Tait also had a strong first-class season in 2006–07 taking 29 wickets at 27.10.^[38] He also played a first-class match against the touring English side and took 3/87, including the wickets of Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell.^[39] Due to his good season, he won the Lord Hampden Trophy for South Australia's best player for 2006–07.^[40]

An elbow injury kept Tait out for the opening parts of the 2007–08 Pura Cup season,^[41] however upon recovery a match against Queensland at the Brisbane Cricket Ground saw him take his first 10 wicket haul in first-class cricket. He took 3/69 in the first innings and 7/29 in the second, his best ever first-class figures.^[42]

List A cricket[link]

Tait made his List A debut on 1 February 2003 for South Australia against Western Australia. South Australia lost the match and Tait failed to take a wicket, however he was economical in his 7 overs, taking 0/29.^[43] While he only played one more List A match in the 2002-03 season, Tait was an important fixture for South Australia in the 2003–04 season.

Tait was South Australia's leading wicket taker, and the second leading wicket taker overall in the 2003–04 ING Cup with 18 wickets at an average of 19.61. The highlight of the season for Tait was undoubtedly his record breaking haul of 8/43 against Tasmania on 9 January 2004.^[44] These were the best ever figures by an Australian in List A cricket, and the eighth best List A figures of all time.^[45] In the same season Tait played a One Day match for the Prime Minister's XI against the touring Indians in a team captained by Steve Waugh^[46] and was also a part of the Australia A team that took on Zimbabwe in January 2004.^[47] 2004–05 saw Tait lead the wicket-taking list in the ING Cup as he took 21 wickets at an average of 19.90,^[48] and in 2005–06 his 14 wickets at 13.28 assisted South Australia in reaching the final.^[49] Despite the Redbacks losing the final by 1 wicket, Tait provided an excellent performance after his team posted a relatively small target of 154, claiming 6/41 off 10 overs.^[50]

In 2006–07, Tait once again earned selection for Australia A for the Top End Series against Indian and New Zealand A sides, and claimed 12 wickets at 21.08 during the Ford Ranger Cup.^[51] Tait was once again consistent in the 2007–08 Ford Ranger Cup, taking 12 wickets at 18.91 in the 5 matches he played.^[52]

International career[link]

Test cricket[link]

Tait was named in Australia's Test squad to tour Sri Lanka in 2004 as a replacement for the injured Brett Lee.^[53] Tait did not play a Test on the tour, however after an impressive domestic summer, in April 2005 Tait was named in Australia's squad to tour England for the 2005 Ashes series.^[54]

Tait made his Test debut against England on 25 August 2005 at Trent Bridge.^[55] Some suggested that Tait should have played in the first Test of the series,^[56] but an injury to Glenn McGrath and the poor form of Jason Gillespie gave Tait his chance.^[57] Tait bowled 24 overs and took 3/97 in his first innings, the best figures of any Australian fast bowler in the match. Tait's first Test wicket was that of Marcus Trescothick. He also picked up the scalps of England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and batsman Ian Bell. While Tait went wicketless in the second innings, he held his spot to play in the final Test of the Ashes series at The Oval, taking 1/61 in the first innings and 1/28 in the second.^[58]

Tait injured his shoulder ahead of the Super Series against the ICC World XI, and as a result was ruled out of playing any of the matches.^[59] Despite calls from Jason Gillespie and Ian Chappell for his inclusion in the side for the 2006–07 Ashes series in Australia, Tait did not get a place in the team with the selectors opting for Stuart Clark who proved effective and quashed hope of Tait cracking the side for a while longer.^[60][61]

Tait was selected in the 13 man squad for Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in November 2007,^[62] however his ongoing elbow injury forced him out, being replaced by Ben Hilfenhaus, with Mitchell Johnson making his Test debut.^[63] Having returned to fitness in December, he once again earned a spot in the Australian squad, this time for the Test series against India.^[64] While there was some suggestion that Australia might use Tait in a four pronged pace-attack as early as the first Test,^[65][66] spinner Brad Hogg was selected over Tait for the first two Tests. Tait was eventually chosen above Hogg for the third Test, with the WACA wicket expected to suit. Although seam and swing dominated the match, Tait went wicketless in his 21 overs giving away 92 runs at an economy of 4.3. His claims to "bowl over" the Indian team had evidently backfired and he announced that he would take an indefinite break from cricket after this Test.^[67]

One Day Internationals[link]

Tait bowling in the Adelaide Oval nets, January 2009

Tait made his One Day International debut on 2 February 2007 against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in the 2006–07 Commonwealth Bank Series.^[68] Tait claimed 2/68 off 10 overs on debut and his first One Day International wicket was that of Ed Joyce. He was much more economical against New Zealand at the MCG, bowling a miserly 1/26 from 10 overs and clocking 160 km/h on the radar. Tait played no more games for the series, finishing with 3 wickets at an average of 31.33.^[69]

Later that month, Tait was selected as a part of Australia's squad to take on New Zealand for the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy in New Zealand.^[70] Tait was selected for the final two games of the series, which were batsman dominated. He took a mere 2 wickets at an average of 62.00 as New Zealand chased down scores of over 300 twice and whitewashed a strong Australian team.^[71]

Despite his lack of matches in the Chappell–Hadlee series, Tait was selected in Australia's 15-man squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.^[72] As a result, both his greatest goals in cricket had been achieved, having already played two Ashes Tests in 2005.^[73]

Tait wasn't originally expected to play a large part in the World Cup, however with Brett Lee ruled out for the tournament due to an ankle injury,^[74] a relatively inexperienced Tait assumed Lee's mantle as the spearhead of the bowling attack. Despite the added pressure, Tait performed to much acclaim in the World Cup, finishing the tournament as the equal second leading wicket-taker with 23 wickets at an average of 20.30.^[75][76] Tait's best efforts of the tournament included a Man of the Match performance against England in a Super 8s match at Antigua in which he claimed 3/41 off 10 overs,^[77] as well as 4/39 off 10 overs, his best One Day International figures at the time, against a strong South African team in the Semi Final at St Lucia.^[78] While Tait went wicketless in a rain affected Final against Sri Lanka,^[79] Australia won the match and Tait's efforts throughout the tournament helped Australia secure their third consecutive and fourth overall Cricket World Cup title in the "most dominant campaign" by a team in World Cup history.^[80]

Tait missed the Australian cricket team's tour of India in October 2007 due to a complicated recovery after elbow surgery in June 2007^[81] however once he recovered he gained selection ahead of Stuart Clark for the 2007–08 Chappell–Hadlee series in December 2007.^[82] In a series in which his bowling action was questioned,^[83][84] Tait performed well, taking 5 wickets at an average of 17.80.^[85]

Tait rejoined the Australian one-day squad for the 2011 Cricket World Cup, playing in seven games and taking 11 wickets before the side lost to India in the quarter-finals. Following Australia's exit from the tournament, Tait announced his retirement from one-day cricket, stating that he intended to focus on Twenty20 cricket instead.^[86]

Sabbatical[link]

On 29 January 2008, Tait announced that he would take an indefinite break from cricket, citing being physically and emotionally exhausted. He stated, "A break from professional cricket will hopefully give me a clear mind and a chance for my body to rest and recover."^[87] In March 2008 Tait claimed he was "feeling normal again" and was aiming for a comeback at the start of the 2008–09 season.^[88][89] The chances of Tait's comeback became even more probable after he was named on the Cricket Australia contract list for the 2008-09 season.^[90] Tait has plans to prepare for his return to Australian cricket by playing Domestic Twenty20 cricket in England in the 2008 season.^[91]

Tait has been called up for a tour with Australia A. He was successful during this tour, picking up figures of 3/27 in a match against India A.

In February 2009, the Rajasthan Royals of the Indian Premier League bought Tait for USD375,000. Tait later pulled out with injury.

Cricket Australia announced on 14 May 2009 that Tait would not have his contract renewed for the 2009–10 season. Tait described this as "a kick in the teeth".^[92]

Tait signed as an overseas player for Chipstead, Coulsdon & Walcountians in Division 5 of the Surrey Championship in June 2009.^[93]

Tait did not have his CA contract for 2009–10 renewed, but after Andrew Symonds' contract was withdrawn after he was sent back from Britain before the 2009 ICC World Twenty20, he was given a replacement contract.

2010-11[link]

In 2009, Shaun Tait gave up first-class cricket indefinitely ^[94] so he can focus on the shorter forms of the game. In the KFC Big Bash this year he picked up 8 wickets from the tournament including 3/12 against the eventual champions Victoria in their preliminary match. He led South Australia to the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash grand final and thus giving them a ticket to the Champions League. Recently in the one-off Twenty20 international against Pakistan, Tait picked up man-of-the-match figures of 3/13 off his four overs. Not only was he extremely economical, but he also bowled a 160.7 km/h delivery, which happens to be the fastest ball ever bowled on Australian soil, and the third-fastest ball ever recorded, behind only Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee.

As a late addition to Australia's one-day squad in 2010, he unleashed a ball against England at Lord's that registered at 161.1 km/h, the second fastest of all time.^[95]

On 13 January 2011, Tait signed for Surrey as a Twenty20 player for the 2011 season.^[96]

Awards[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (November 2010)

• Donald Bradman Young Cricket of the Year: 2004
• Lord Hampden Trophy: 2007
• ICC Emerging Player of the Year: 2007
• Australian Cricketers' Association All-star Ford Ranger Cup team: 2007–08