The first Twenty20 international in Australia will be staged between Australia A and Pakistan at Adelaide Oval on Thursday night, with Australia A vice-captain Mike Hussey predicting the three-hour format could attract a new generation of Australian fans to cricket.

The South Australian Cricket Association expects a bumper crowd, having pre-sold about 4,000 tickets, compared to the norm of about 500 pre-sales for Australia A games.

SACA communications manager Jane Elliott said the association expected a crowd of at least 15,000, up from about 10,000 that would attend a comparable 50-overs-a-side match.

The 20-overs-a-side concept was launched in England in 2003, with the matches between county sides attracting a huge following, in particular attracting younger people and families who would not normally attend full-length one-day matches.

There was also a big crowd expected at the WACA for tonight's 20-overs match between Western Australia and Victoria, the first state game of its type in Australia.

Australia will play England in the first full-strength international Twenty20 match in Southampton in June, during its Ashes tour.

Hussey said crowds would be entertained.

"Not many Australians would have seen too much of the Twenty20 concept," he said.

"It's generally aimed at the younger generation.

"It's a lot of fun and heaps of excitement, it's a very fast-flowing game and we hope that we can get as many down to watch it as possible."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP