Test cricket facts for kids

Test cricket is the longest and oldest type of international cricket. It's like a super long game of cricket! The very first official Test match happened a long time ago, from March 15 to 19, 1877. It was played between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Australia won that first game by 45 runs.

At first, Test matches were mostly played by England against other teams in the British Empire. Here are some of the early years when Test matches started against other countries:

• 1889 versus South Africa
• 1928 versus West Indies
• 1930 versus New Zealand
• 1932 versus India

Over time, Test matches became popular in many more countries around the world. Later, shorter versions of cricket like One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 internationals (T20s) were also created.

How Test Matches Work

Test matches are usually a series of games that can last up to five days each. In these matches, each team gets to bat twice. These two turns at batting are called "innings." The scores from both of a team's innings are added together. The team with the most runs wins the match. If both teams have the same number of runs, it's a tie. If the game ends without a winner, it's called a draw.

The Follow-on Rule

The "follow-on" is a special rule in Test cricket. It can make a team bat again right after their first turn. This happens if the other team has a much higher score after their first turn.

To make a team follow-on, the team that batted first must have a lead of at least 200 runs. This means they scored 200 more runs than the other team in their first innings.

When the Game is Shorter

Sometimes, Test matches are planned to be shorter than five days. The number of runs needed for a follow-on changes then:

• If the match is 3 or 4 days long, the lead needed is 150 runs.
• If the match is 2 days long, the lead needed is 100 runs.
• If the match is only 1 day long (which is very rare), the lead needed is 75 runs.

Timeless Test Matches

A "Timeless Test" is a type of Test match that doesn't have a set number of days. This means the game keeps going until one team wins, no matter how long it takes! These types of matches are not played anymore.

Images for kids

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  A Test match between South Africa and England in January 2005. The two men wearing black trousers are the umpires. Test cricket is played in traditional white clothes and usually with a red ball – a pink ball in full day/night Tests

See also

In Spanish: Test cricket para niños