A T20 night already has a match to follow. The best extra game gives people a reason to watch together, not a reason to stare at a different screen.
These four ideas suit a cricket catch-up with friends. The prediction and bingo systems below are homemade, points-only suggestions. They are not a list of cards in The Local or a replacement for the instructions supplied with the deck. No alcohol, money or entry fee is needed for the house games.
1. Predict the first-innings total
Before the first legal delivery, ask everyone to write down the batting team's final first-innings score. Award three points to the closest guess and one point to the next closest. Compare absolute differences: if the total is 164, guesses of 160 and 168 are equally close.
For ties, give everyone in the tied place the same points. Keep it simple rather than inventing a tie-breaker after you know who it affects.
Agree on an interruption rule before play. One option is to score the prediction only if the innings completes at its originally scheduled length or the side is all out. If weather changes the allotted overs or the innings is abandoned, void this round. That stops a major change in conditions from deciding a prediction people could no longer revise.
This is a low-effort option for a group that wants to keep watching. You need one scorekeeper and a pen, not an app.
2. Play a short block of overs
For people arriving after the start, run a new round over the next three completed overs. Before the block begins, everyone predicts the runs added during those overs, including extras. Record the scoreboard at the beginning and end.
Give two points to the closest total, with tied guesses receiving equal points. If the innings ends or play is interrupted before the block finishes, void that round and start again when everyone knows the next full block. Do not quietly compare one person's three-over guess with a two-over result.
Limit this to a few rounds so scorekeeping does not take over the evening. It is particularly useful when the match result looks one-sided but the next few overs still offer something to follow.
3. Make cricket event bingo
Draw a three-by-three grid for each person. Use different combinations and positions from this suggested list:
- A batter hits a four.
- A batter hits a six.
- A wicket falls.
- A wide is signalled.
- A no-ball is signalled.
- A catch is taken by a fielder.
- A batter is bowled.
- A run-out is given.
- A catch is dropped.
- A decision review is shown.
- A batter reaches fifty.
- An over finishes with no runs added.
These are homemade bingo prompts, not a statement that these exact cards appear in The Local. Mix common events with rarer ones so a board is not entirely dependent on unusual moments.
Mark events only after the round starts and use the umpire's final decision for disputed calls. A replay is not a second event. The first horizontal, vertical or diagonal line earns three points; simultaneous lines earn equal points. Finish the round there, then reset at the innings break if the group is enjoying it.
4. Use a ready-made T20 card game
The Local T20 Cricket drinking card game is our ready-made option for adult viewing nights. It contains 100 game cards built around cricket match events, so you can bring out a deck instead of writing a set of bingo boards.
Follow the instructions included with the product for the deck's game and scoring. The homemade rules above are separate activities. The Local is for ages 18 and over; make participation optional and never use drinking speed or finishing a drink as the contest.
It is a fit for friends watching T20 or a Big Bash match together. For a large room, a shared prediction sheet may be easier than trying to run one deck for everyone.
Keep the innings break simple
Use the break for food, a quick score update and at most a few questions about what everyone just watched. Ask who top-scored, who took the first wicket or what the final innings total was. Write down verified answers as the match happens and drop any question nobody can confirm.
Set up the broadcast before guests arrive and avoid scheduling a second game that makes people miss the chase. A viewing night should still work for the person who only wants to watch cricket.
For the host who loves a summer gathering, explore cricket gifts and our cricket Christmas gift guide. For other codes, see Rugby League viewing games or Aussie Rules game ideas.