If you play or watch cricket, you must have seen your favourite team win or lose a match. But on some occasions, your team must have been involved in other results that are not quite common, like win/loss.
In this article, we’ll delve into the possible results a cricket match can produce in all 3 formats.
Possible Results of a Cricket Match
Cricket has 3 different formats — Test, ODI, and T20. Each format has its own uniqueness in terms of playing conditions.
However, matches in all 3 formats can have similar outcomes. The possible results a match can produce are as follows:
- Win
- Loss
- Tie
- Draw
- No Result
- Abandoned
- Awarded or Conceded
Now, let’s understand all the results one by one.
Win and Loss
These are pretty self-explanatory results of a match. If any team scores more runs than the other team after all innings are completed, they win the match. If they fail to do so, then they lose the match. This is similar across 3 formats.
In the case of a Test match, if a team’s total is more than the opposition team’s combined 2 completed innings, then they are declared winners.
For example, New Zealand and Pakistan played a Test match against each other.
New Zealand posted 600 runs in the first innings. In response, Pakistan were all out on 150 in the second innings, and New Zealand imposed a follow-on on them.
With Pakistan still trailing by 450 runs, they managed to score 350/10 in the third innings. Since Pakistan’s combined total of 500 was less than that of New Zealand’s 600, New Zealand won the Test match by an innings and 100 runs.
Tie
A match can end in a tie when both team’s scores are equal after all innings are completed.
For instance, in an ODI match, India scored 310/6 while batting first. In response, England needed to score 311 runs to win the match. But they managed to level the score (310/9) in the allotted overs, resulting in a tie.
However, if an ODI match or a T20 match ends in a tie, there is a provision to determine the winner by playing Super Over. If a team emerges as the winner, the match result is stated as: Match Tied (“Winning Team” won the Super Over). You can read more about the Super Over rules here.
When it comes to Test cricket, it’s a rare phenomenon to witness tied matches. But a tie can only happen when the team batting second is bowled out and both team’s totals are equal after all 4 innings are completed. You can read more about tied Test matches here.
Draw
If none of the teams manages to win or tie a match, then it results in a draw. Now, a draw can only happen in the Test format.
Suppose Australia and England played a Test match. Australia scored 450/5d in the first innings.
England came out to bat in the second innings and managed to put up 500/10, taking a lead of 50 runs. In the third innings, the Aussies scored 300/10 and set a target of 251 runs for England.
With only 2 sessions remaining in the match, England started their chase. However, as the last day concluded, England was stranded on 171/4, 80 runs away from the target.
Since England’s 4th innings wasn’t completed, the match resulted in a draw.
No Result
If a limited-overs match can’t be completed due to weather interruptions or other conditions, then the match may be recorded as ‘no result’. This happens if both teams can’t get the opportunity to bat for a minimum of 20 overs in ODIs or 5 overs in T20Is.
For instance, during the 2023 Asia Cup, Pakistan bowled out India for 266 runs in the first innings. But before Pakistan could start their innings, rain interrupted the game, and they couldn’t bat in the second innings at all.
However, if both teams manage to bat for the minimum overs, then a result can be determined using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.
Abandoned
When a match is not able to start due to weather interruptions or poor ground conditions, then the match is abandoned. The result of such a match is stated as: “Match abandoned without a ball being bowled.”
During the 2019 World Cup, the group match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka was abandoned as no toss happened and no play was possible at all.
However, if a toss happens in a match and the match is unable to start or complete, then it ends as a ‘no result’.
Awarded or Conceded
If a team concedes (accepts) a loss or refuses to play the match, then the umpires can award the match to the opposing team. This means the opposition team wins the match.
In 1978, India conceded an ODI match against Pakistan in protest of the short-pitch bowling tactics used by Pakistan. Hence, the umpires decided to award the match to Pakistan.
