FAQ
How long does a Test match last?
A Test match runs up to five days, with a minimum of 90 overs scheduled each day and two innings available to each side. Roughly a quarter of Tests end inside four days when a result comes early. Day night Tests, played with a pink ball, shift sessions into the evening.
What is the difference between a Test, an ODI and a T20?
Tests last up to five days with two innings per side and are considered the supreme form. One Day Internationals are 50 overs per side, finished in a day. Twenty20 games are 20 overs per side and last about three hours. Each format has its own World Cup.
How many players are in a cricket team?
Eleven players per side, with a twelfth man who may field as a substitute but cannot bat, bowl or keep wicket. The eleven usually split into specialist batters, bowlers, a wicketkeeper and one or two allrounders.
What is a wicket in cricket?
The word has three meanings. The wicket is the set of three stumps and two bails at each end. Taking a wicket means dismissing a batter. And a wicket can also describe the pitch itself, as in a sticky wicket, a difficult surface.
What is a maiden over?
A maiden over is an over of six balls in which no runs are conceded off the bat and no extras are given away. Bowlers build pressure through maidens in the long formats. A wicket maiden also takes a wicket in that over.
What is the Ashes?
The Ashes is the Test series between England and Australia, played since 1882 after a joke obituary claimed English cricket had died. The tiny urn is held by whichever side last won the series, with a draw leaving it with the holder. Series are played every two years, alternating between the two countries.