Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC), with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability and endurance in the sport.

The first officially recognised Test match commenced on 15 March 1877, contested by England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where Australia won by 45 runs. England won the second ever match (also at the MCG) by four wickets, thus drawing the series 1–1. This was not the first ever international cricket match however, which was played between Canada and the United States, on 24 and 25 of September 1844.

Playing time

Test cricket is played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days (though finishing earlier if a result is reached before the maximum time). On each day there are usually three two-hour sessions, with a forty minute break for "lunch" and a twenty minute break for "tea". For example, in England, common times of play are as follows:

First session: 11am – 1 pm (2 hrs)

Second session: 1:40 pm – 3:40 pm (2 hrs)

Third session: 4 pm – 6 pm (2 hrs)

In addition, short breaks (5 minutes) may be taken during each session for “drinks”, commonly after an hour of play. A 10 minute interval is also taken between changes of innings.

The times of sessions and intervals may be altered in certain circumstances, for example:

1.       If bad weather or a change of innings occurs close to a scheduled break, the break may be taken immediately;

2.       If there has been a loss of playing time, for example due to bad weather, the session times may be adjusted to make up for the lost time;

3.       If the batting side is nine wickets down, the tea break is delayed the earlier of 30 minutes or until the team is all out;

4.       The final session may be extended by up to 30 minutes if 90 or more overs have not been bowled in that days play (subject to any reduction for adverse weather);

5.       The final session may also be extended by 30 minutes (except on the 5th day) if the umpires believe the match can be decided within that time (this is in addition to any time added to complete the prescribed number of overs).

End of an innings

A teams innings may be completed in one of the following ways:

1.       The team loses all of its wickets (at which time the team is referred to as being "all out"). Since two batsmen bat simultaneously, this usually occurs when ten batsmen have been dismissed. However, it may occur with the loss of fewer wickets if one or more batsmen are unavailable to bat (for example, because of thier injury/death during the match).

2.       The teams captain elects to cease batting (a declaration). This includes forfeiture of an innings where the team does not play a single ball.

3.       The prescribed time period ends. (See End of Game discussion below).

4.       The team batting 4th, scores the required number of runs.

5.       Law 12.1(b) also makes provision for teams to agree, before the match, to limit the length of an innings to a prescribed number of overs or length of time; however, this Law does not apply to Test cricket.

6.       Clearly, a team will also cease batting if the game ends (i.e.: if a result is achieved, or the maximum time limit is reached).

The follow-on

If, at the completion of its first innings, Team B’s first innings total falls short of Team A’s first innings total by at least 200 runs, the captain of Team A may (but is not required to) order Team B to follow on. If he does so, Team B must commence its second batting innings immediately, that is, before Team A commences its second innings. Thus, the usual order of the third and fourth innings is reversed: Team B will bat in the third innings, and Team A will bat in the fourth.

It is extremely rare for a team forced to follow on to win the match. Out of over 285 follow-ons enforced in the history of Test cricket, the following-on team has come back to win the match only three times, and Australia was the losing team on each occasion: twice to England, in 1894 and in 1981, and once to India in 2001.

The new ball

After 80 overs, the captain of the bowling side has the option to take a new ball. A new ball, which is harder than an old ball, generally favours fast bowlers who can make it bounce at a greater range of (unpredictable) heights and speeds. Spin bowlers or those using reverse swing prefer an old ball. The captain may delay the decision to take the new ball if he wishes to continue with his spinners (because the pitch favours spin), though in general the new ball is looked forward to as an opportunity to introduce new life into the bowling with more chance of taking wickets.

End of the game

A Test match may end in one of seven scenarios:

1.       All four innings have concluded. The winners are the team with the higher aggregate run total, and the winning margin is the difference between the two teams’ run totals (for example, "Team A win by 140 runs").

2.       All four innings have concluded with the scores tied. To be tied, the aggregate run total of each team must be equal. However, such an occurrence is rare; in over 1,900 Test matches played only two have been tied.

3.       The team batting in the fourth innings overtake the opposing teams run total. The match ends immediately and the batting team are the winners. The winning margin is the number of wickets remaining in the innings (for example, "Team B win by five wickets").

4.       The third innings concludes with the team that batted twice still trailing the team that batted once. The match ends without playing a fourth innings and the team that batted once are the winners. The winning margin is "an innings" plus the difference in aggregate run totals of the teams (for example, "Team B win by an innings and 96 runs").

5.       The match is awarded due to forfeiture. If a team refuse to take the field of play, the umpires may award the match to the opposing team. Such an occurrence has only happened once in Test cricket, in the 2006 Fourth Test between England and Pakistan, when Pakistan refused to take the field after tea on day four. The umpires awarded the match to England, in accordance with Law 21.3, a decision ultimately (in 2009) upheld by the ICC.

6.       Time for the match expires without a result being reached. This usually occurs at the end of the fifth day. The match is a draw and neither team win, regardless of the relative positions of the teams at the time.

7.       Pitch damaged by third party causing match abandonment. This has occurred once when some campaigners of an armed robber vandalised the pitch at Headingley during the 1975 Ashes Series. Holes were dug and oil poured on the pitch. The match was abandoned and declared a draw.