Scoring in Test Match Cricket Demystified
Understanding the Test Cricket Score Board Made Easy
Sep 6, 2009
Test Match Cricket has been played for over 200 years. Yet there are many countries that do not play the game. One of the reasons could be the complexity of the scoring!
Test Matches are played over five consecutive days and each team bats for two alternate innings. The duration of an 'innings' is determined by how long it takes ten batsmen to get out rather than a specific period of time.
In contrast, 50-Over Cricket Games are played in one day and Twenty20 Cricket lasts under four hours.
In theory, deciding the winner is simple- the team that scores the most runs in total over the two innings and takes twenty opposition wickets wins the game. However, in practice the scoring tends to be a bit more complicated.
The Make-Up of a Test Match Cricket Team
There are eleven players and each one of them has a specialized role to play in the team. All eleven players bat, but there are specialized batsmen who are expected to score the majority of the runs, a wicket-keeper and bowlers. Some players are termed 'all-rounders' meaning they are equally adept at batting as well as bowling.
In general a test match cricket team is expected to consist of five batsmen, one wicket-keeper and five bowlers.
Different Results in a Game of Test Match Cricket
A team can win a test match by scoring a number of runs- that is more runs than the opposition, or by a number of wickets- that is scoring the necessary number of runs but losing less wickets than the opposition. Also a game can be won by an innings plus a number of runs or it can be a draw.
Winning by a Number of Runs or Number of Wickets
In a game between Team A and Team B, assume that Team A won the toss and elected to bat first.
In the first innings, Team A scored 345 runs for the loss of ten wickets.
Team B, in their first innings, scored only 330 runs for the loss of ten wickets.
In the second innings, Team A could only score 280 runs.
Therefore, if Team B can score more than 305 (345 - 330 + 280), and have only lost 7 wickets, then they will win the game by 3 wickets.
However, say that Team B could only score 295 runs, then Team A will win the game by 10 runs.
Winning a Game by an Innings and a Number of Runs
When Team A batted in the first innings, they scored 550 runs.
Team B, in their first innings could only score 290 runs. Because they are still behind Team A by more than 200 runs (550 - 290 = 260), Team A can make Team B bat a second time (second innings). This is called 'following- on'. Say Team B could only score 240 runs, then Team A win by an innings (because they have not batted a second time) and 20 runs (550 - 290 + 240).
Test Match Ending in a Draw
Unfortunately, this tends to happen quite often and can be caused by adverse weather conditions as much a competitive play.
Team A scores 320 runs in the first innings and Team B scores 330 in their first innings. In their second innings, Team A scores 270 which leaves Team B to score 280 (320 + 270 - 330) to win. However, they cannot score 270 but do not lose all the wickets. Therefore the game is drawn.
It is a team's ability to score runs as well as take wickets that give them the edge over the opposition.
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