What Types of Cricket Matches Are There?

There are several versions of cricket match played at first class level. You will need to factor in the type of match, as individual players and teams may be better at certain formats compared to others. Here is a short breakdown of the types of cricket match you can bet on:

Types of Cricket Match - Test Matches

Cricket series like The Ashes between England and Australia, and The Wisden Trophy between England and West Indies, consist of Test Matches that are played over a maximum of 5 days. This is the longest form of the game and each side can bat for 2 innings each. A Test Series consists of between 2 and 5 Test matches and is played with the traditional red cricket ball.

10 nations are allowed to play Test Matches. These are: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh.

Types of Cricket Match - One Day Internationals

This format started out as limited over matches with a maximum of 60 overs per team and played with the traditional red cricket ball. Now the format has changed to a maximum of 50 overs per team and played with a white ball.

Changes to the One Day International cricket matches to make them more exciting have included fielding restrictions for the first 15 overs (which has now been extended to 2 periods of 10 overs selected by the fielding team) and the introduction of a super-sub who can be brought in at any stage of the match to replace another player. The Cricket World Cup is played in this format.

Types of Cricket Match - Twenty20

This format was brought into English cricket in 2004, to widen the appeal of the game, with this fast and furious version of cricket, with plenty of runs and wickets being played in a couple of hours. Each team bats for a maximum of 20 overs, with bowlers allowed the maximum of 4 overs each.

Twenty20 is played domestically and now at international level.

Types of Cricket Match - The Liverpool Victoria County Championship

County Championship cricket matches are played over 4 days. Each side can bat for 2 innings each and there are no restrictions on the number of overs that a team can bat for. Teams can win bonus points in each of the first innings, for the total number of runs scored or the number of wickets taken. 14 points are awarded for a win, 7 points for a tie and 4 points for a draw plus any bonus points.

The County Championship is split into two divisions of nine, and each county cricket team plays 16 matches - 8 at home and 8 away. There is promotion and relegation of two up and two down between the two divisions, so there is always something to play for in matches even towards the end of a cricket season.

Types of Cricket Match - Totesport National League

The Totesport National League has changed from 45 overs to 40 overs using the white cricket ball. The teams are split into 2 divisions with promotion and relegation of 2 up and 2 down plus a play off match between the seventh place in Division 1 and third place in Division 2.

Types of Cricket Match - Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy

Formally the Gillette Trophy and the NatWest Trophy, this is the same version as the One Day International played at county level in the UK. It used to be a knockout competition, which included minor counties and county cricket board teams plus Ireland, Scotland and The Netherlands. However, in 2006 the format will change to 2 conferences of 9 teams from the first class counties, with the winners from each conference meeting in the final.

Now that you are familiar with the various types of cricket match, have a look at the Types of Cricket Bet you can place.