How does test cricket work? i understand how limited overs works?

Question

Just explain how it works, how do you win? watching the ashes and curious about it

Answer 1

LOL! Not much point checking that wikipedia link when he 's just cut & pasted most of it!


A briefer answer, based on the fact that you understand how limited overs cricket works:

..Unlike one day cricket, both teams have TWO batting innings each. The only limit to when an ininings has to end is when the batting side lose their tenth wicket, although a captain can also call an early end to his side's innings if he believes his side has more than enough runs to place them in a very strong position (this is called "declaring")

...The first objective of the team batting first is to score enough runs to make the match almost impossible for the fielding team to win. Remember, they can take as long as they wish to do this providing they have at least one wicket left.

...The first objective of the team bowling first is to dismiss the batting side for as few runs as possible, as quickly as possibly.

..Once the bowling side have taken all 10 wickets, the batting side's first innings end, and the teams change over. Alternatively, if the batting side have such a big total that they think the bowling side will seriously struggle to match it, they can declare an end to their own innings.

.. so, here's an example. Lets say Australia go on today to make 560 all out. England then bat and make 420 all out. This means Australia would have a lead of 140 runs on the first innings. Australia then have their second innings, and make 300 all out. They now have a lead of 440, so.. England must make 441 in their second innings to win the match OR avoid losing all their wickets to force a draw.

...Bear in mind that although there is NO limit on the length of
a team's innings, there IS a time limit in the match..namely five days. So a team has to judge how to pace its two innings and the speed of its scoring.. too long, and it does not allow itself enough time to dismiss the opposition, making it easier for the opposition to play for a draw. Any team which finds itself in a position where a win becomes unlikely ( like England at the moment !) will always try to avoid defeat by playing defensively for a draw.

Thats as simple as I can make it!

Answer 2

Understanding Cricket

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How does test cricket work? i understand how limited overs works?
Just explain how it works, how do you win? watching the ashes and curious about it

Answer 4

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. It remains the highest-regarded form of the game, although the comparatively new One-day International cricket is now more popular amongst some audiences. The name "Test" is thought to arise from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength" between the sides involved. It seems to have been used first to describe an English team that toured Australia in 1861-62, although these matches are not considered Test matches today.

Test cricket is played between two teams over five days, with three two-hour sessions per day. (Sessions are usually interspersed with a 40-minute break for lunch and 20-minute break for afternoon tea.) Each team has eleven players. In the early days of the game, Test matches could be played over three or four days, or have been 'Timeless', where there was no predetermined length of the match.

Before play starts on the first day, a coin is tossed. The team winning the toss chooses whether to bat first or to bowl first. In the following, the team batting first is termed "team A" and its opponents "team B".

Team A bats until either ten batsmen are dismissed (team A is "all out"), or its captain chooses to stop batting (called a "declaration"). This batting period is called an "innings". There is no limit to the length of an innings provided there remain at least two batsmen who have not been dismissed (when ten are dismissed, the eleventh cannot continue by himself) and the five days have not elapsed.
After team A's first innings the teams swap roles, with team B batting its first innings, and team A bowling and fielding.
If team B is dismissed with a score 200 runs or more behind team A, team A chooses whether to "invite" team B to bat again for its second innings (called "forcing the follow-on"), or to bat itself to gain a bigger lead. (If the whole first day of play is abandoned without a single ball being bowled, whether because of rain or otherwise, the follow-on requirement is reduced to 150 runs.)
If the follow-on is forced:

Team B bats its second innings.
If team B's total score from both innings is less than team A's first innings score, team A wins the match.
If this is not the case, team A must bat its second innings to attempt to score more than team B's total. If it succeeds in the remaining time, team A wins. If it is dismissed before this occurs, team B wins (though this is very unusual - teams that enforce the follow-on very rarely lose. This has happened only three times in the entire history of Test cricket and each time the losing team has been Australia; the most recent one being the India-Australia series in India in 2001.).
If time runs out before any of the above occurs, the match is called a draw.
If, after each team's first innings, the follow-on is not forced or cannot be forced:

Team A bats its second innings. If time runs out before the innings is completed, the match is a draw.
If team A's total score for its two innings is less than team B's score from its first innings, team B is the winner. Otherwise, team B must bat a second innings.
If team B's total score over two innings is more than team A's, team B wins the match.
If team B is dismissed before reaching team A's total, team A wins the match.
If neither occurs before the scheduled end of the match, it is a draw.
Finally, if both teams are dismissed twice with the same combined totals, the game is a tie (as distinct from a draw, as described above). With the comparatively high scores in cricket, only two ties have occurred over the entire history of over 1,700 Test matches. Both matches are regarded as 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. 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. 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).

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. Therefore, a team with a large lead will declare to give themselves time to bowl at the opposition and take all their wickets.

If you want to know more about Test Cricket, please check the following website:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_cricket