Beyond ODI or the Limited Covers Cricket, Test Cricket is a very important style of cricket. ODI is an important format in international tournaments, including the ICC World Cup. Test Cricket is its exact antithesis.
The Game Length
ODI has been specifically designed as a short game. It has a reduced amount of overs to make sure the game does not last more than one day. It was an essential aspect of the internalisation of the game. In essence, the excessive length was too much for many spectators, and the limit on the overs achieved this.
Test cricket, on the other hand, is the type of cricket with the longest duration. This also makes it a valued game format in the eyes of hardcore cricket fans. The very name of the game format derives from the challenging nature of the match – the games that went on for days on end were very taxing on the players, testing their limits.
A Test match consists of both teams playing a four-innings match. The game can go on for five days, and there have been cases where a game has taken even longer. It is not uncommon for Test matches to be day/night cricket or floodlit cricket. This refers to games that are played at least partially with limited daylight, using floodlights to light up the playing field.
Test Status
Much like ODI matches, the participating teams must be granted Test status by the ICC for the game to qualify as a Test match. Test status can only be awarded to a national team or a team representing a group of nations. Still, Test games are not played in national leagues.
Currently, there are twelve teams with Test status, most of which are national teams representing full ICC member countries. As the original Test game took place between England and Australia, these teams naturally have held the status the longest, since 1877.