A Full Explanation to Test Cricket (2023) Last Updated: February 22, 2021 Test cricket is the oldest and longest format of the sport, with purists even claiming it is the greatest format overall. In this Test cricket betting guide, we will go over Test match betting, Test cricket odds and some highly useful Test cricket tips. Test Cricket Explained A Test match is usually played over the course of five days, and will consist of a total of 450 overs split into 90 overs bowled per day. An over is made up of six balls when all of the deliveries are legal. This is far longer than the other two formats of the game, which are One Day International (ODI) cricket and Twenty20 (T20). ODI matches are played over the course of a day with 100 overs bowled. This is split into 50 overs for each side to bat and bowl with. T20 cricket, meanwhile, is the shortest, with 40 overs per match split into 20 overs for both sides to bat and field with. While the ODI and T20 games may be lauded for being the most exciting due to how short they are, Test cricket is often considered to be the highest standard of the game. It was first officially recognised in 1877, with England’s match against Australia being played out across 15th-19th of March. Since then, many teams have been given Test status, with the likes of South Africa, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, West Indies and Sri Lanka having also dominated at some point in the history of the game. While Test matches have historically meant a lot to each nation taking part in them, there has been no barometer other than the Test cricket rankings to show who is at the top of the world. Of course, sitting at number one in the rankings is the main aim of all teams on the Test scene, but there has not been a tournament like the Cricket World Cup, which provides an out-and-out winner for the ODI and T20 games. However, in 2019, the World Test Championship was created. This competition sees teams touring one another with series lasting between two and five matches. While not all teams will play the same number of games, they will play the same number of series. At the end of the preliminary stage, the two teams at the top of the league table will play in the final. If you want to get involved with betting on this new competition but are lacking the confidence, then check out our best cricket predictions to give you a boost. Test matches will produce results through any of the following six scenarios listed below: All four innings are completed. The team batting last chases down the opposition’s total of runs. The third innings ends with the team that batted twice still behind. The match does not reach a conclusion within the allotted time. The match is abandoned as the ground is deemed unfit for play. The match is won by forfeit. A Test match itself sees both teams given a total of 20 wickets to protect, which the batting team will look to protect with scoring runs. The bowling side, meanwhile, will be tasked with getting these batsmen out via any of being bowled, caught, run-out, stumped or LBW (leg before wicket). Both captains will take to the middle before the game to take part in the coin toss. The winner will get to pick whether they bat or bowl first, with this being a huge advantage as the conditions will usually dictate that doing one over the other is advised. Teams win a Test match by getting more runs than the other. For example, if England bat first and score 600 runs before bowling Australia out for 300, they will have a lead of 300 runs. From here, they can either bat again to try to pile on the runs or they can enforce the follow-on (this is when a team batting second trails the team that batted first by 200 runs or more, and forces them to bat again). In normal circumstances, though, England would then bat again and set Australia a target to chase down. If the Aussies were unable to chase this total down then England would win, while Australia would secure victory if they chased down this total.