From timeless tests that lasted for two weeks in the 30’s to Twenty20 matches that are over in two hours cricket has come a long way. But one thing remains, cricket is a game of patience, nuance, athleticism, timing, hand eye coordination and explosive power.
There are three main types of cricket that people will come across. Test matches are the most traditional form of cricket. Test matches have been played between nations since the 19th century, and the test match cauldron is where a cricketer really earns their stripes.
A test match lasts for a maximum of five days. Each team gets the chance to bat twice and the team that scores the most runs in their two innings is declared the winner. If the teams can’t reach a result before the end of the fifth day the test match is declared a draw.
One day cricket popped up in the 60’s and reinvigorated cricket. In one day cricket each team only gets 50 overs (an over is six deliveries from the bowler) to bat. The team with the most runs at the end match wins.
The most recent form of cricket to pop up is Twenty20 cricket. Twenty20 is the same as one day cricket except the action is compacted into twenty overs.
There are only nine nations that play test match cricket these are: Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh. There are other nations that occasionally play one day and Twenty20 cricket but these countries are considered the traditional cricket strong holds.
