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.[1][2][3]
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.[4] England won the second ever match (also at the MCG) by four wickets, thus drawing the series 1–1.[5] 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.[6]
A Test match to celebrate 100 years of Test cricket was held in Melbourne from 12 to 17 March 1977. Australia won this match by 45 runs, the same margin as the first Test match in 1877, which the 1977 match was commemorating.[7]
Test status
Test matches are a subset of first-class cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). As of 2010, nine national teams have been given Test status, the most recent being Bangladesh in 2000 and Zimbabwe have been stripped off from the test status due to poor performance.
A list of matches defined as Tests was first drawn up by Australian Clarence Moody in the 1890s. Representative matches played by simultaneous England touring sides of 1911–12 (in Australia and South Africa) and 1929-30 (in the West Indies and New Zealand) are deemed to have Test status.
In 1970, a series of five "Test matches" was played in England between England and a Rest of the World XI. Although initially given unofficial Test status (and included as Test matches in some record books, notably Wisden), this was later withdrawn and a principle was established that states that official Test matches can only be between nations. The series of "Test matches" played in Australia between Australia and a World XI in 1971/72 do not have Test status. The commercial "Supertests" organised by Kerry Packer as part of his World Series Cricket enterprise and played between "WSC Australia", "WSC World XI" and "WSC West Indies" from 1977 to 1979 have never been regarded as having official Test match status.
In 2005 the ICC ruled that the six-day Super Series match that took place in October 2005 between Australia and a World XI was an official Test match. This ICC decision was taken despite precedent (e.g. the ICC's earlier ruling on the 1970 England v Rest of the World series) that only matches between nations should be given Test match status. Many cricket writers and statisticians, particularlyBill Frindall, have decided to ignore the ICC's ruling and have excluded the 2005 match from their records.
[edit]History
 | This section requires expansion. |
See main articles:
- History of cricket
- History of Test cricket (to 1883)
- History of Test cricket (1884 to 1889)
- History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)
[edit]Test cricket playing teams
There are currently ten Test-playing teams, the majority of which are individual nations (except for England and The West Indies).
Test status is conferred upon a country or group of countries by the International Cricket Council. Teams that do not have Test status can only officially play a shortened version of cricket, except in events such as the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which was specifically designed to allow non-Test teams to play under conditions similar to Tests. The teams are listed below with the date of each team's Test debut:
| Order | Test team | Date of first Test Match | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1= |  Australia | 15 March 1877 | |
| 1= |  England and Wales | 15 March 1877 | Consists of players from England and Wales |
| 3 |  South Africa | 12 March 1889 | Did not participate in international cricket between 10 March 1970 and 10 November 1991. This was due to a decision by the International Cricket Conference in 1970 to suspend South Africa, in response to the then South African Government's policy of apartheid. |
| 4 |  West Indies | 23 June 1928 | Consists of players from a number of Caribbean nations and dependencies. |
| 5 |  New Zealand | 10 January 1930 | |
| 6 |  India | 25 June 1932 | Before partition of India in 1947, included territory that now forms Pakistan and Bangladesh. |
| 7 |  Pakistan | 16 October 1952 | Before Bangladeshi independence in 1971, included territory that is now Bangladesh. |
| 8 |  Sri Lanka | 17 February 1982 | |
| 9 |  Zimbabwe | 18 October 1992 | Suspended from involvement in Test cricket between 10 June 2004 and 6 January 2005, and indefinitely since 18 January 2006. Test status to be restored by May 2011.[8] |
| 10 |  Bangladesh | 10 November 2000 |
In 2003, the ICC announced its intention to confer Test status upon Kenya in the near future. Kenyan cricket has been through difficulties since then[specify]. Ireland has stated its intention to apply for Full Membership of the ICC with the aim of achieving Test status.[9] Afghanistan has also stated its intentions to play Test cricket in the future,[10] although the current security situation and lack of proper facilities, as well as a fledging domestic structure make this aim hard to achieve.
[edit]Conduct of the game
[edit]Playing time
See also: Playing time (cricket)
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
- Second session: 1:40 pm – 3:40 pm
- Third session: 4 pm – 6 pm
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:
- If bad weather or a change of innings occurs close to a scheduled break, the break may be taken immediately;
- 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;
- 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;[11]
- The final session may be extended by up to 30 minutes if 90 or more overs have not been bowled in that day's play (subject to any reduction for adverse weather);[12]
- 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). In these circumstances the extra time played is taken off the end of the scheduled final day's play.[13]
In the early days of the game, Test matches were played over three or four days. Up until the 1980s, it was usual to include a 'rest day', often on the Sunday. There have also been 'Timeless Tests', which did not end after a predetermined maximum time. In 2005 Australia played a six-day match against a World XI, which the ICC sanctioned as an official Test match even though the match reached a conclusion on the fourth day.
[edit]Order of play
Test cricket is played in "innings" (the word denotes both the singular and the plural). In each innings, one team bats and the other bowls (or fields). Ordinarily four innings are played in a Test match, such that each team bats twice and bowls twice.
To decide which team bats first, prior to the start of play on the first day, the two team captains and the match referee meet at the centre of the wicket for a coin toss. The home captain will toss the coin, with the visiting captain calling either "Heads" or "Tails" while the coin is in the air. The captain who wins the toss has the privilege of deciding whether his team will bat or bowl first.
In the following scenarios, the team that bats first is referred to as "Team A", and their opponents as "Team B".
Usually the teams will alternate at the completion of each innings. Thus, Team A will bat (and Team B will bowl) until its innings comes to a close, at which point Team B will commence its first batting innings and Team A will bowl. At the completion of Team B’s innings, the same sequence repeats for each team’s second innings. A team’s score for the match is the combined total of runs scored in each of its innings.
[edit]End of an innings
A team's innings may be completed in one of the following ways:[14]
- The team is "all out", not having at least two batsmen to defend the wickets. This usually occurs when a team lose ten wickets (ten of the eleven batsmen have been dismissed) and are "bowled out". However, it may occur with the loss of fewer wickets if one or more batsmen are unavailable to bat (for example, because of their injury during the match).
- The team's captain elects to cease batting (a declaration). This includes forfeiture of an innings where the team does not play a single ball.
- The team batting 4th, score the required number of runs to win. (See End of Game discussion below).
- The prescribed time for the match expires. (See End of Game discussion below).
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.[15]
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).
[edit]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.[16] 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.[17]
[edit]The new ball
After 80 overs, the captain of the bowling side has the option to take a new ball.[18] A new ball, which is harder and smoother than an old ball, generally favours fast bowlers who can make it bounce at a greater range of (unpredictable) heights and speeds. The roughened, softer surface of an old ball is more conducive to spin bowlers or those using reverse swing. The captain may delay the decision to take the new ball if he wishes to continue with his spinners (because the pitch favours spin), but most regard the new ball as an opportunity to introduce new life into the bowling and more chances of taking wickets. Should an innings last a further 80 overs after a new ball has been taken, the captain will again have the option to take another new ball.
[edit]End of the game
A Test match may end in one of seven scenarios:
- All four innings have concluded. The team batting fourth are all out and failed to overtake the other team, so the team that batted third are the winners. The winning margin is the difference in the aggregate run totals of the two teams (for example, "Team A wins by 95 runs").
- 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.
- The team batting in the fourth innings overtakes the opposing team's run total. The match ends immediately and the batting team is the winner. The winning margin is the number of wickets remaining in the innings (for example, "Team B wins by five wickets").
- 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 is the winner. The winning margin is "an innings" plus the difference in aggregate run totals of the teams (for example, "Team B wins by an innings and 96 runs").
- The match is awarded due to forfeiture. If a team refuses to take the field of play, the umpires may award the match to the opposing team.[19] 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.[20][21]
- 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 wins, regardless of the relative positions of the teams at the time. A common contributory factor to drawn results is the loss of playing time to adverse weather conditions.
- The match is abandoned because the ground is declared unfit for play. This has occurred three times, resulting each time in a draw being declared:
- England v Australia at Headingley, Leeds, 1975. Abandoned after four days because of vandalism. Campaigners for the release of George Davis (armed robber) dug holes in the pitch and poured oil on it overnight.[22]
- West Indies v England at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica, 1998. Abandoned after less than one hour because of dangerously variable bounce from the newly re-laid pitch. [23]
- West Indies v England at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua, 2009. Abandoned after a few minutes because fast bowlers could not safely run up on the sandy surface. [24]
[edit]Competitions
Test cricket is almost always played as a series of matches between two countries, with all matches in the series taking place in the same country (the host). The number of matches in a series varies from one to six. Often there is a perpetual trophy traded between a pair of teams when series between them are won or lost (the most famous of these being the Ashes contested between England and Australia). There have been two exceptions to the bilateral nature of Test cricket: the 1912 Triangular Tournament, a three-way competition between England, Australia and South Africa (hosted by England), and the Asian Test Championship, an event held in 1998-99 and 2001-02.
Until recently[when?] Test series between international teams were organized between the two national cricket organizations with umpires provided by the home team. However, with the entry of more countries into Test cricket competition, and a wish by the ICC to maintain public interest in Tests (which was flagging in many countries with the introduction of one-day cricket), a new system was added to Test match competition. A rotation system that sees all ten Test teams playing each other over a six-year cycle, and an official ranking system (with a trophy held by the highest-ranked team) were introduced. It was hoped by the ICC that the new ranking system would help maintain interest in Test cricket in nations where one-day cricket is more popular.
In the new system, umpires are provided by the ICC. An elite panel of eleven umpires has been established, and the panel is supplemented by an additional International Panel that includes three umpires named by each Test-playing country. The elite umpires officiate almost all Test matches (usually not a Test involving their home country); the International Panel is only employed when the cricketing calendar is filled with activity, or for one-day internationals (ODIs).
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