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Cricket

Tests, one-day and Twenty20 matches: The three main cricket formats explained

Tests, one-day and Twenty20 matches: The three main cricket formats explainedGetty

Cricket is a sport that has fundamentals, two teams of 11 players battling for a win. 

However, as the years have gone by, more and more formats have been introduced to continue bringing in new fans. 

The three most popular formats being a test match, one-day and twenty20. 

But what are the rules for these formats, find out below. 

What is a test match?

A test match is first-class cricket played at an international level played between full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

These matches consist of two teams and can last to up to five days. 

Each team is given two innings per match, and the winner is determined by which team has successfully chased down a runs total or dismissed their opposition before the end of the fifth day after the four innings. 

A test match can be tied due to numerous factors including periods of play lost to poor weather conditions. 

What is one-day match? 

Unlike a test match which can last up to five days, a one-day match takes place over a day's play, hence the name. 

Whichever team bats first is required to post a score over 50 overs and then the other team is tasked to chase down that total within 50 overs. 

The match can be tied if both teams score the same amount of runs within the allotted 50 overs. 

What is a twenty20 match? 

A twenty20 match is even shorter than a one-day match, but the rules are similar. 

The team which bats first is once again required to post a score, but in this particular format it has to be done within 20 overs instead of 50. The opposing side then has to chase down that score before they are all dismissed at the crease or at the end of the 20 over limit.

If the match is tied, a winner is determined using a Super Over.