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First-class cricket refers to the class of cricket matches of three or more days scheduled duration, between two sides of eleven players and officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings each, although a team in practice might only play zero or one innings.

First-class cricket is an aspect of major cricket but is not major cricket per se, as is sometimes thought. Major cricket is a term used in Cricket to encompass all forms of the sport that are played at the highest International and domestic levels Major cricket is an unofficial or, at best, quasi-official term that includes limited overs cricket, single wicket and other forms in which players and/or teams of high standard are playing. NightMatchOldTraffordjpg|right|thumb|350px|A night match at Old Trafford. Single wicket Cricket is probably the oldest form of the game because it involves individuals contesting against each other These forms are not first-class cricket but they are equally as important.

Test cricket, although the highest standard of major cricket, is itself a form of first-class cricket, although the term "first-class" is commonly used to refer to domestic competition only. Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations A player's first-class statistics include his performances in Test matches.

Generally, first-class matches are eleven players a side but there have been exceptions. Equally, although first-class matches must now be scheduled to have at least three days' duration, there have historically been exceptions.

Due to the time demands of first-class competition, the players are mostly paid professionals, though historically many players were designated amateur. First-class teams are usually representative of a geopolitical region such as an English county, an Australian state or a West Indian nation.

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Definitions of first-class cricket

MCC 1895

Prior to 1947, the only definition of first-class cricket had been one in Great Britain that dates from a meeting at Lord's in May 1894 between the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) committee and the secretaries of the clubs involved in the official County Championship, which had begun in 1890. Lord's Cricket Ground (generally known as Lord's) is a cricket Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC is a private members' club founded in 1787 The County Championship is the domestic first class Cricket competition in England and Wales. As a result, those clubs became first-class from 1895 along with MCC, Cambridge University, Oxford University, major cricket touring teams and other teams designated as such by MCC. Cambridge University Cricket Club is a First-class cricket team Oxford University Cricket Club (now subsumed into the Oxford Universities Centre of Cricketing Excellence but retaining its independence is a First-class cricket team representing

ICC 1947

The term "first-class cricket" was formally defined by the then Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) in May 1947 as a match of three or more days duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class; the governing body in each country to decide the status of teams. The International Cricket Council (ICC is the international governing body of Cricket. Significantly, it was stated that the definition does not have retrospective effect. MCC was authorised to determine the status of matches played in Great Britain.

For all intents and purposes, the 1947 ICC definition confirmed the 1895 MCC definition and gave it international recognition and usage.

Hence, official judgment of status is the responsibility of the governing body in each country that is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The International Cricket Council (ICC is the international governing body of Cricket. The governing body grants first-class status to international teams and to domestic teams that are representative of the country's highest playing standard. It is possible for international teams from associate members of the ICC to achieve first-class status but it is dependent on the status of their opponents in a given match.

According to the ICC definition, a match is first class if:

A Test match is a first-class match played between two ICC full member countries subject to their current status at the ICC and the application of ICC conditions when the match is played.

A peculiarity of the two-innings match is the follow-on rule. If the team that batted second is substantially behind on first innings total, it may be required to bat again (i. e. , to immediately follow on from its first innings) in the third innings of the match. In first-class cricket, the follow-on minimum lead requirement depends on match duration. In a Test or other match with five or more days duration, the team batting second can be asked to follow on if 200 or more runs behind. If the match duration is three or four days, the minimum lead is 150 runs.

Matches played before the MCC and ICC definitions

The absence of any ruling about matches played before 1947 (or before 1895 in Great Britain) has caused problems for cricket historians and especially statisticians who have been forced to compile their own matchlists. Inevitable differences have arisen and there are variations in published first-class statistics.

For a description of the statistical differences, see : Variations in first-class cricket statistics

Recognised matches

The following matches or competitions are recognised as first-class by the appropriate governing bodies, providing the conditions of the ICC definition are met:

Notes:

See also

References


External sources

Further reading

This article seeks to explain the key differences in alternative versions of English First-class cricket statistics This is a list of current first-class cricket teams, organised first by country and then alphabetically Major cricket is a term used in Cricket to encompass all forms of the sport that are played at the highest International and domestic levels Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (often referred to simply as Wisden or colloquially as "the Bible of Cricket" is by far the best
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