The Ashes Tour, 2009.

[Hecktix]

Someone clear this up for me because I only really understand T20 cricket.

How long does each test last? Shouldn't it just be 1 innings each and whoever get's the most runs wins? How does it work and why is their 5 days ect.?

+Rep for good answers thanks.

4 innings over 5 days, 2 innings for each team, 11 players on a team innings last until all the team are out (in most circumstances), team with the highest aggregate total win.

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 30 minutes (or until the team is dismissed, if this occurs earlier);
• The final session may be extended if a prescribed minimum number of overs have not been completed (usually 90 or more overs must be bowled in a day's play, and at least 20 overs must be bowled in the final hour of the final day).

In the early days of the game, Test matches were played over three or four days. There have also have 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, 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.
In order 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" whilst 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 which bats first shall be 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 end in one of two ways:

• 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 they have been injured in the match).
• The batting captain elects to cease batting (a declaration).

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. 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 quite rare for a team which has been forced to follow on to win the match: this has occurred only three times in the history of Test cricket.

[edit] 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.

[edit] End of the game

A Test match may end in one of 4 scenarios:

• If all four innings have been completed. In this case, the winner is the team with the highest aggregate run total, and the winning margin is the difference between the two teams’ run totals. It is possible (although rare – there have been only two tied results in over 1,700 test matches) that a Test match which ends in this fashion may be tied, if the aggregate run total of each team is equal.
• If, during the fourth innings, the aggregate run total of the team batting surpasses that of its opposition (which has already batted twice). In this case the batting team is the winner, and the winning margin is the number of wickets remaining in the final innings.
• If, after completion of the third innings, the aggregate run total of the team which has batted twice (Team A, or Team B if the follow-on has been enforced) is less than the first innings total of the other team. In this case the team which has batted once is the winner, and the winning margin is “an innings” plus the difference in aggregate run totals of the teams (for example, “an innings and 96 runs”).
• If none of the above results have been achieved, but the maximum allotted time for the match has been reached (usually, the end of the fifth day). In this scenario the match is a draw and neither team wins, regardless of the relative positions of the teams at the time.

[clueless]

it makes me sad that its only on sky :{

[Tintinnabulate]

it makes me sad that its only on sky :{

Sky Sports Player ftw

And @ above who asked about test cricket.
Alot of test matches become draws. If a team bats two innings, in order for the other team to win, they must make more runs.
A team can "declare" their innings, this is when they havent been all out but decide to finish their innings early by choice.

I only watched bits of the game but Auusies must have batted amazingly well to get what they did.I am hoping they can score 300-350 runs today, but its a shame they let England score 99 runs yesterday. They became over complacent really.

[Blinger1]

I think Ponting might have brought back his good form!

[Andeeh]

I think Ponting might have brought back his good form!

a great batsman, to score over 11, 000 test runs is outstanding and its a shame he seems to be in form

rain delays play with australia at 463 - 4

[Immenseman]

im going to say first test will be a draw

[Geraint]

looking like rain tomorrow.

[Andeeh]

its a certain draw the first test. thats alright but we need to take advantage of no brett lee. hopefully he shall mis lords

[Pienesse]

Why Harmison hasn't been included is a mystery. I know the pitch might be spin-friendly but he tore through their team for the Lions.

Very good point there. COME ON ENGLAND

[Smiddy]

581 - 5 currently, ouch.

They've got 3 centuries and 2 half-centuries in the innings thus far. Compared to ours where we only had... 3 half-centuries.
Lead of 147 with 2 1/2 days to go!