When you first get interested in cricket, it can be difficult to wrap your head around the rules that govern how games are won and lost. Let’s discuss how a cricket match can be won, whether it is a test match, an ODI, or a T20 match.
Test Matches
Test matches can go up to 5 days with 90 overs bowled per day, but other First-Class matches can run up to 3 or 4 days. Teams will always have the ability to bat twice, but it may not be necessary in some games. A team may score a large number of runs in one inning, then bowl the opposing team out twice for a combined total less than their original score, thus winning the game.
Unless one team manages to take 20 wickets and bowl the other team out twice, all Test and First-Class matches will be drawn. At this point, it is worth mentioning that draws are extremely prevalent in this form of cricket.
A Test or First-Class match concludes in a draw when neither team has managed to bowl the other side out twice. When one or both sides have been bowled out twice, but the cumulative scores from both innings of each team are equal when the final wicket is taken, the game is called a tie.
Also Read | 6 Reasons Why Test Cricket is So Hard
One Day Internationals (ODIs)
Because an inning is limited to 300 deliveries, batters can play with greater abandon, resulting in higher scoring rates and more boundaries. It is not required to bowl the opposing team out in this format of the game to win; it might just come down to the quantity of runs scored.
It is conceivable for a limited-overs match to end in a tie if both teams score exactly the same number of runs after both innings have ended. It makes no difference how the innings ended; if the side batting last runs out of balls with the scores tied, the game is a tie. In addition, if the team batting last loses their final wicket with the scores tied, the game is a tie.
If a tie occurs, it is frequently recorded as the match’s final result. However, in a few circumstances where an outright winner must be declared, such as the World Cup final, another technique is used to decide the game.
A ‘Super Over’ is the most common method now utilised in cricket. Finally, it should be emphasised that One Day International games cannot finish in a draw, but a ‘no result’ is possible.
Twenty20s (T20s)
The team that has scored the most runs after 20 overs of batting wins a T20 game. The requirements for obtaining a win in a T20 game are the same as those listed for ODIs. The length of the inning is the only notable difference between the two game forms.
T20 matches, once again, have the potential to end in a tie! If the regulations of the tournament or series allow it, this can be recorded as the final result; however, super overs are much more commonly employed in T20 cricket. Finally, 20-over matches cannot be drawn, but a ‘no result’ is allowed.
Other Ways to Win and Lose a Cricket Game
Super Over
A super over is a tiny mini-game used to determine the winning and losing teams of a limited-overs match after both innings end with the same number of runs — generally referred to as a tie! Super overs are generally utilised in T20 cricket, but they have also been employed in some 50-over games.
For more information about Super Over, you can check out the dedicated article below.
Also Read | Super Over in Cricket: A One-Over Drama Unleashed
The historical record of super over matches won’t just show the winning team’s “win” and the losing team’s “loss.” ‘Tie+W’ is frequently used to denote the winning team and ‘Tie+L’ to denote the losing team.
DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) Method
Some cricket matches are only decided after using the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) technique. The DLS approach is a complex mathematical concept used when limited overs matches are delayed and time is wasted due to inclement weather. It enables the winning score for the team batting last to be altered in order to be fair and achievable even when time is lost in the game.
If you’ve ever seen cricket, you’ll be aware of how many games are impacted by terrible weather and other environmental conditions! The DLS technique is a means of completing cricket matches and determining winners and losers independent of the setting in which the game is played.
To use the DLS system, each team must have the opportunity to bat for a certain number of overs during the game. For the DLS to be used in a 50-over cricket match, each side must bat for a minimum of 20 overs; however, in a T20 match, batting sides must face a minimum of 5 overs. Target scores are calculated using the DLS technique in a challenging manner, and for good reason!
Also Read | What is the Difference Between DLS and VJD?
Forfeit
There have been few occasions in cricket history when sides refused to play a game. As a result, the game is frequently forfeited or ‘given’ to the other side by the umpires.
Historically, this has occurred mostly due to one team’s security worries about playing the match. This was the case in the 1996 World Cup when Australia refused to travel to and play Sri Lanka owing to the country’s civil war. The match was surrendered by Australia, and the points were awarded to Sri Lanka.
In addition, two teams refused to play in the 2003 World Cup. England was one of them, refusing to play Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe owing to the issue surrounding the country’s president, Robert Mugabe.
The other was New Zealand, which declined to play Kenya in Kenya because of the existence of the terrorist group Boko Haram. Both matches were forfeited, with the opposite team declared the victors.
During the course of the game, the umpires awarded one test match to the opposing team, which was a match between England and Pakistan at the Oval in 2006.
After being accused of ball tampering by umpire Darrell Hair, the Pakistan team refused to re-enter the field of play at the scheduled hour after tea on the fourth day. The test match was granted to England when Pakistan refused to take the field.
What Does ‘No Result’ Really Mean?
It is conceivable for limited overs matches, like One-Day games or T20s, to end with a ‘no result’ as the official outcome. Rain and other environmental conditions are virtually always to blame.
When one or both teams fail to bat the required number of overs to win or lose a game, no result is announced. In order for no result to be declared, the coin toss must also take place.
What Does ‘Match Abandoned’ Actually Mean?
The match is declared abandoned when weather or other factors prevent the toss and any deliveries from being bowled. If this happens, the game will not be recorded in the official cricket statistics.
If the toss is authorised but conditions prevent any deliveries from being delivered, the match will be declared a draw (for Test matches and First-Class cricket) or a no-result (for limited-overs cricket).
Read Next | Lesser Known Rules of Cricket Every Fan Should Know
