A Test match between South Africa and England in January 2005. The men wearing black trousers on the far right are the umpires. Trousers are an item of Clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth stretching across An umpire in Cricket (from the Old French Nompere meaning not equal i Test cricket is played in traditional white clothes and with red ball.

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Sport is an Activity that is governed by a set of rules or Customs and often engaged in competitively Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations. It remains the highest-regarded form of the game, although the comparatively new One Day International and Twenty20 formats are now more popular amongst some audiences. Note Most of the information here pertains to men's cricket ODI matches are also played in Women's cricket. Twenty20 is a form of Cricket, originally introduced in the United Kingdom for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board The name "Test" is thought to arise from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved. It seems to have been used first to describe an English team that toured Australia in 1861-62, although those matches are not considered Test matches today. The first ever official Test match commenced on the 15th of March 1877, contested by England and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the Australians won by 45 runs. Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international Cricket matches today England won the second ever match (also at the MCG) by 4 wickets, thus drawing the series 1-1. This was not the first ever international cricket match however, which was played between Canada and the United States, on the 24th and 25th of September 1844. United States of America v Canada (1844 was the first official international cricket match to be played The Canada cricket team is the national Cricket team representing Canada in men's international competition The United States national cricket team is the team that represents the United States of America in international Cricket matches

Test status

Test matches are a subset of first-class cricket. 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 However, the step up in required skill from normal first-class cricket to Test cricket is considerable, with many players who excel in the first-class game proving unable to handle Test cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams which have "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The International Cricket Council (ICC is the international governing body of Cricket. As of 2007, ten national teams have been given Test status, the most recent being Bangladesh in 2000.

• A list of matches defined as Tests was first drawn up by Australian Clarence Moody in the 1890s.
• Representative matches played by simultaneous England touring sides of 1891-92 (in Australia and South Africa) and 1929-30 (in the West Indies and New Zealand) are deemed to have Test status. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting
• In 1970, a series of five "Test matches" were played in England between England and a Rest of the World XI. Although initially given unofficial Test status (and included as Test matches in some record books, notably Wisden), this was later withdrawn and a principle was established which states that official Test matches can only be between national sides. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (often referred to simply as Wisden or colloquially as "the Bible of Cricket" is by far the best
• The series of "Test matches" played in Australia between Australia and a World XI in 1971/72 do not have Test status.
• The commercial "Supertests" organised by Kerry Packer as part of his World Series Cricket enterprise and played between "WSC Australia", "WSC World XI" and "WSC West Indies" from 1977 to 1979 have never been regarded as having official Test match status. World Series Cricket (WSC was a break away professional Cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC (17 December 1937 &ndash 26 December 2005 son of Sir Frank Packer, was an Australian publishing media and gaming tycoon World Series Cricket (WSC was a break away professional Cricket competition staged between 1977 and 1979 and organised by Kerry Packer for his Australian television
• In 2005 the ICC ruled that the six-day Super Series match that took place in October 2005 between Australia and a World XI was an official Test match. The ICC Super Series 2005 was a cricket series played in Australia in October 2005 and featuring some of the world's best cricketers The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. This ICC decision was taken despite precedent (e. g. the ICC's earlier ruling on the 1970 England v Rest of the World series) that only matches between nations should be given Test match status. Many cricket writers and statisticians, particularly Bill Frindall, have decided to ignore the ICC's ruling and have excluded the 2005 match from their records. William Howard Frindall MBE ( March 3, 1939, Epsom, Surrey) is a British Cricket Scorer

History

See main articles:

• History of cricket
• History of Test cricket (to 1883)
• History of Test cricket (1884 to 1889)
• History of Test cricket (1890 to 1900)

Test cricket playing nations

There are currently ten Test-playing nations. The game of Cricket has a known history spanning from the 16th century to the present day with international matches played since 1844 although the official history Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international Cricket matches today The history of Test cricket between 1884 and 1889 was one of English dominance over the Australians. Test matches (matches of Test cricket) in the 19th century were somewhat different affairs than what they are today

Test status is conferred upon a country by the International Cricket Council. The International Cricket Council (ICC is the international governing body of Cricket. Countries that do not have Test status can only officially play a shortened version of cricket, except in events such as the ICC Intercontinental Cup, which was specifically designed to allow non-Test nations to play under conditions similar to Tests. The ICC Intercontinental Cup is a Cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council as part of its cricket development program 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 The nations are listed below with the date of each nation's Test debut shown in brackets:

Order	National team	Date of first Test Match	Notes
1	Australia	March 15, 1877
	England		Consists of players from England and Wales. The Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus, Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The England cricket team is the national cricket team which represents England and Wales. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
3	South Africa	March 12, 1889	Did not participate in international cricket between March 10, 1970 and April 18, 1992 due to the international reaction to apartheid. The South African cricket team, also known as The Proteas are a national Cricket team representing South Africa Events 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The structure of international cricket has evolved only recently from a traditional Ad hoc basis Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)
4	West Indies	June 23, 1928	Consists of players from a number of Caribbean nations and dependencies. The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as The Windies or The West Indies, is a multi-national Cricket team representing Events 1180 - First Battle of Uji, starting the Genpei War in Japan 1305 - The Flemish Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
5	New Zealand	January 10, 1930
6	India	June 25, 1932	Before Indian independence in 1947, consisted of territory of the Indian subcontinent that are now Pakistan and Bangladesh. The New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps or BLACKCAPS, played their first Test in 1929-30 against England in Christchurch Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. Year 1930 ( MCMXXX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display 1930 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Indian cricket team is an international Cricket team representing India. Events 524 - Battle of Vézeronce, the Franks defeat the Burgundians Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. The term " Indian independence movement " is diffuse incorporating various national and regional campaigns agitations and efforts of both Nonviolent and Militant This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially
7	Pakistan	October 16, 1952	Before Bangladeshi independence in 1971, included territory that is now Bangladesh. The Pakistan National Cricket Team is an international Cricket team representing Pakistan. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
8	Sri Lanka	February 17, 1982
9	Zimbabwe	October 18, 1992	Suspended from involvement in test cricket between June 10, 2004 and January 6, 2005, and currently since January 18, 2006. The Sri Lankan cricket team is a national Cricket team representing Sri Lanka. Events 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt. 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) The Zimbabwean cricket team is a national Cricket team representing Zimbabwe. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Events 1190 - Third Crusade: Frederick I Barbarossa drowns in the Sally River while leading an army to Jerusalem "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
10	Bangladesh	November 10, 2000

In 2003, the ICC announced its intention to confer Test status upon Kenya in the near future, but Kenyan cricket has been through difficulties since then and no date for Kenya's promotion is likely to be set in the near future. The Bangladeshi cricket team, also known as "The Tigers", is a national Cricket team representing Bangladesh. Events 1444 - Battle of Varna: The crusading forces of King Vladislaus III of Varna (aka Ulaszlo I of Hungary and Wladyslaw 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Kenya national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Kenya in international Cricket matches

Conduct of the game

Test cricket is played between two teams of eleven players over a period of up to a maximum of five days - although matches are sometimes completed early when one side wins well within the time allotted (e. g. in three or four days). On each day there are usually three two-hour sessions with a forty minute break for "lunch" and a twenty minute break for "tea"; in England typically 11am-1pm, 1. 40pm-3. 40pm, 4pm-at least 6pm (play often continues later - up to a maximum of 30 minutes overtime - to make up for overs lost due to the weather, to make up the required minimum number of overs for the day, or if a team is close to being dismissed). The duration of earlier sessions can be altered if there have been weather interruptions or (in certain circumstances) if the state of play so dictates. For example, if rain has stopped play, lunch may be taken early to leave more time in the afternoon for play without rain and/or on a drier pitch. If a team is dismissed close enough to a scheduled break, the break may be brought forward and the other team begin its innings after the break. In the early days of the game, Test matches were played over three or four days and there have also have been 'Timeless Tests', where there was no predetermined length of the match. Test matches in the period 1877 to 1883 were organised somewhat differently from international Cricket matches today A timeless Test is a match of Test cricket played under no limitation of time which means the match is played until one side wins or the match is tied with theoretically no

Before the start of play on the first day, the match referee and the two team captains meet at the centre 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 choosing whether his team will bat or bowl first. In the sport of Cricket, a Coin is tossed to determine which team bats first

Throughout the following scenarios, the team batting first will be known as "team A" and their opponents will be known as "team B".

• Team A bat until either ten batsmen are dismissed - at which time team A is "all out" and the innings is "completed" - or until the batting captain elects to cease batting (known as a "declaration"). Mike Powell cricketerjpg|thumb|200px| Warwickshire batsman Mike Powell]] A batsman in the sport of Cricket is depending on context Any In the Sport of Cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's Innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to This batting period is known as an "innings". An inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of Sports &ndash most notably Cricket and Baseball during There is no limit to the length of an innings, provided the batting team have at least two batsmen who have not yet been dismissed in the innings. When the tenth batsman is dismissed, the last remaining batsman cannot continue alone and is declared "not out".
• In matches that lose a large percentage of time to poor weather or other extraordinary circumstances, there may not be enough time to complete the first innings (let alone an entire match).
• Normally, after team A's first innings the teams change roles. Team B bat their first innings, and team A bowl and field.
• In the event that team B are dismissed "all-out" in their first innings for a total 200 runs (or more) less than that of team A, the captain of team A has the option of enforcing the "follow-on". Follow-on is a term used in the Sport of Cricket to describe a situation where the team that bats second is forced to take its second batting innings immediately after In this case teams do not change roles as per normal, and team B bat their second innings.
• Team A's captain may, however, elect not to enforce the follow-on and bat as would normally be the case. This may be to advantage if team A's bowlers are overly fatigued.

Note: In the event that the entire first day of a test match is abandoned without any play, team B may be asked to follow-on if their first innings total is 150 runs (or more) less than that of team A.

In the event the follow-on is enforced:

• Team B bat their second innings immediately after completing their first innings (after a short rest).
• If team B is dismissed with the total of both innings being less than team A's first innings, team A win the test match by a margin of "an innings" plus the difference in total runs scored by each team

• If team B, during its second innings, score enough runs to bring their total past team A's first innings total, team A must bat again. In this case, team A need only bat until their total over 2 innings is greater than that of team B. Their margin of victory is recorded as the number of wickets remaining from the 10 necessary to dismiss a team "all-out".

• If team A are dismissed "all-out" in the fourth innings with a 2 innings total less than that of team B, team B shall be declared the winner, the margin being the total difference in runs scored by each team in the match.

• It is highly uncommon for team B to win after being asked to follow-on. This has occurred only 3 times in more than 1700 test matches.

• In the event that the 5 days elapse before any of the above occur the match is declared a draw, regardless of the current scores of either team. To tie or draw is to finish a Competition with identical or inconclusive results

If the follow-on is not enforced or is not available to be enforced:

• Team A bat their second innings.
• If team A's total score over two innings is less than team B's first innings score, team B win by a margin of "an innings" plus the difference in total runs scored by each team.
• If team B's total score over two innings is more than team A's, team B wins the match. The margin of victory is recorded as the number of wickets remaining from the 10 necessary to dismiss a team "all-out".

• If team B is dismissed in the fourth innings with a 2 innings total less than that of team A, team A win the match, the margin being the total difference in runs scored by each team.
• In the event that the 5 days elapse before any of the above occur the match is declared a draw, regardless of the current scores of either team.

• It is conceivable, however unlikely, that a test match may end in a tie. A tie occurs when, after a completed fourth innings, each team has scored an equal total of runs. A tie is distinct from a draw, as a draw is declared when a match has not been completed within five days, a tie is a completed match.

There have been only 2 ties in over 1,700 Test matches. Tied Test refers to two matches of Test cricket, the first in 1960 and the second in 1986 both of which ended as a tie: that is the aggregate scores of both teams Both matches are regarded amongst the most exciting ever played.

The decision for the winner of the toss to bat or bowl first is based on an assessment of the relative strengths and weaknesses of each team and the conditions of the wicket. In the sport of Cricket, a Coin is tossed to determine which team bats first Most of the time pitches tend to become hard to bat on as the game nears its conclusion, and players bat more poorly after the fatigue of four solid days of cricket, so teams usually prefer to bat first. A Cricket pitch is the central strip of the Cricket field between the Wickets The pitch is 1 chain or 22 yards (20 However, sometimes the conditions at the very beginning of the match particularly suit fast bowling, so if either team has particularly strong set of pace bowlers, the team winning the toss may choose to bowl first (either to take advantage of their own attack or to disallow the opposition the use of a "green" wicket whose erratic bounce will help seam bowling). Fast bowling, sometimes known as pace bowling, is one of the two main approaches to bowling in the Sport of Cricket. Muralijpg|thumb|250px|right|The world's leading off-spin bowler Muttiah Muralitharan sends down a delivery]] A bowler in the Sport of Cricket is usually In the sport of Cricket, a Coin is tossed to determine which team bats first A Cricket pitch is the central strip of the Cricket field between the Wickets The pitch is 1 chain or 22 yards (20 Seam bowling is a phrase used for a Cricket bowling technique whereby the ball is deliberately bowled onto its seam to cause a random deviation A quote usually attributed to WG Grace displays his philosophy of what to do if the captain were to win the toss. William Gilbert Grace ( 18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English Cricketer who by his extraordinary skills made "When you win the toss – bat. If you are in doubt, think about it, then bat. If you have very big doubts, consult a colleague – then bat. "

After 80 overs, the captain of the bowling side has the option to take a new ball. A cricket ball is a hard solid Ball used to play Cricket. Manufacture Cricket balls are made from a core of cork, which is layered 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. Swing bowling is a technique used for bowling in the Sport of Cricket. 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.

The rationale for a team declaring their innings closed prior to being bowled out may be confusing for cricketing neophytes, but it is often a sound tactic. Remember that to win a game, the losing side must be given the opportunity to complete two innings. If they do not do so the game ends in a draw, no matter how many runs they may be behind (an example of this is Sri Lanka's 952 run innings against India. Despite this being the highest total runs in a test match innings, the game was drawn). Therefore, a team with a large lead will declare to give themselves more time to bowl at the opposition and take all their wickets.

Competitions

Test cricket's competition structure has evolved somewhat idiosyncratically due to the long match duration, the fact that a proportion of test matches end in draws, cricket's status as one of the earliest professional spectator sports, and the wide geographical distribution of the teams. A spectator sport is a Sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators or watchers at its matches These factors mean that a 'world cup' similar to the event in one-day cricket or the football world cup is not feasible for Test cricket. The Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International (ODI Cricket. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football

Test cricket is almost always played as a series of matches between two countries, with all matches in the series taking place in the same country (the host). The number of matches in a series varies from one to six. Often there is a perpetual trophy traded between a pair of teams when series between them are won or lost. The Ashes series between England and Australia is the most famous of these. The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. There have been two exceptions to the bilateral nature of Test cricket: the 1912 Triangular Tournament, a three-way competition between England, Australia and South Africa (hosted by England), and the Asian Test Championship, an event held in 1998/99 and 2001/02. The 1912 Triangular Tournament was a Test cricket competition played between Australia, England and South Africa, the only Test playing The Asian Test Championship is a Test cricket tournament contested between the test playing nations of Asia: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Until recently, Test series between international teams were organised between the two national cricket organisations with umpires provided by the home team. An umpire in Cricket (from the Old French Nompere meaning not equal i However, with the entry of more countries into Test cricket competition, and a wish by the ICC to maintain public interest in Tests (which was flagging in many countries with the introduction of one-day cricket), a new system was added to Test match competition. The International Cricket Council (ICC is the international governing body of Cricket. NightMatchOldTraffordjpg|right|thumb|350px|A night match at Old Trafford. A rotation system that sees all ten Test teams playing each other over a six-year cycle, and an official ranking system (with a trophy held by the highest-ranked team) were introduced. A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that for any two items the first is either "ranked higher than" "ranked lower than" or "ranked equal It was hoped by the ICC that the new ranking system would help maintain interest in Test cricket in nations where one-day cricket is more popular. The simplicity of the ranking system has proven successful, although the rotation system is currently being challenged by India (who wish to play more frequently against the more financially attractive opposition such as England and Australia).

In the new system, umpires are provided by the ICC. An "elite panel" of eleven umpires has been established, and the panel is supplemented by an additional "International Panel" that includes three umpires named by each Test-playing country. The elite umpires officiate almost all Test matches (usually not a Test involving their home country); the International Panel is only employed when the cricketing calendar is filled with activity, or for one-day internationals (ODIs).

See also

• Toss (cricket)
• ICC Test Championship
• List of Test matches
• List of Test cricket grounds
• List of Test cricket records
• List of Test cricketers

References

• Origin of the name "Test"
• USA v Canada - The oldest international sporting fixture