The
result in a game of
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
may be a
win for one of the two teams playing, a
draw or a
tie. In the case of a
limited overs gameLimited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
, the game can also end with
no result. Which of these results applies, and how the result is expressed is governed by Law 21 of the
Laws of cricketThe laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club which serve to standardise the format of cricket matches across the world to ensure uniformity and fairness...
.
The result of a match is a
win when one side scores more
runsIn the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
than the opposing side and all the
inningsAn inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring...
of the match are completed.
The
result in a game of
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
may be a
win for one of the two teams playing, a
draw or a
tie. In the case of a
limited overs gameLimited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
, the game can also end with
no result. Which of these results applies, and how the result is expressed is governed by Law 21 of the
Laws of cricketThe laws of cricket are a set of rules framed by the Marylebone Cricket Club which serve to standardise the format of cricket matches across the world to ensure uniformity and fairness...
.
Win and loss
The result of a match is a
win when one side scores more
runsIn the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
than the opposing side and all the
inningsAn inning, or innings, is a fixed-length segment of a game in any of a variety of sports – most notably cricket and baseball during which one team attempts to score while the other team attempts to prevent the first from scoring...
of the match are completed. The side scoring more runs has
won the game, and the side scoring fewer has
lost. If the match ends without all the innings being completed, the result may be a draw or no result (see below).
Tie
See also: Tied TestTied Test refers to two matches of Test cricket, the first in 1960 and the second in 1986, both of which ended as a tie: that is, the aggregate scores of both teams were equal at the conclusion of play, and the side batting last had completed its innings with all 10 batsmen being out. Both Tied...
, List of tied One-day Internationals
The result of a match is a
tie when the scores are equal at the conclusion of play, but only if the side batting last has completed its innings (i.e. all innings are completed, or, in
limited-overs cricketLimited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
, the set number of
oversIn the sport of cricket, an over is a set of six consecutive balls bowled in succession. An over is normally bowled by a single bowler. However, in the event of injury preventing a bowler from completing an over, it shall be completed by a teammate....
has been played or play is terminally stopped by weather or bad light). This is unusual, and in the history of
Test cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
has happened only twice:
- West Indies
The West Indian cricket team, also known colloquially as The Windies or The West Indies, is a multi-national cricket team representing a sporting confederation of a dozen English-speaking Caribbean countries and British dependencies that form the British West Indies.From the mid 1970s to the early...
(453 & 284) tied with AustraliaThe Australian cricket team is the national cricket team of Australia. It is the joint oldest team in Test cricket, having played in the first Test match in 1877 ....
(505 & 232) in 1960.
- Australia (574-7d & 170-5d) tied with India
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
(397 & 347) in 1986.
In some forms of
one-day cricketLimited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
, such as
Twenty20Twenty20 is a form of cricket, originally introduced in the United Kingdom for professional inter-county competition by the England and Wales Cricket Board , in 2003...
, a
bowl-outA bowl-out is used in various forms of limited overs cricket to decide a match that would otherwise end in a tie. The procedure is similar to a penalty shootout in association football. Five bowlers from each side deliver one or two balls each at an unguarded wicket...
(similar to a penalty shoot-out in
footballAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
) is used to decide a result that would otherwise be a tie.
Draw
The result of a match is a
draw if a match is concluded, as defined in Law 16, without being a win or a tie.
This means that a draw occurs when a team does not complete its innings by the scheduled end of play. In matches where the number of overs is not limited, therefore, a team unable to win may be able to 'save the draw' by managing to not complete its final innings (i.e. by having batsmen left at the end of play who are 'not out'). The match is then drawn regardless of the total of runs accumulated by either side.
In limited overs matches, a draw is not a possible result (except in some amateur leagues where the league rules allow for such).
No result
A
no result is effectively the same as a draw, but occurs only in limited-overs cricket. With a limited number of overs, a team cannot bat to the end of the match and secure a draw as above - if they have scored fewer runs they have lost the game. A no result, therefore, occurs only when weather conditions stop play before the second team have batted enough overs to have a recalculated target under the
Duckworth-Lewis methodIn the sport of cricket, the Duckworth–Lewis method is a mathematical way to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance...
or other rain rules. In One Day International cricket, one team needs to have faced less than 20 overs (of the allotted 50 for a match) for a match to be a no result.
Abandoned
A match can be
abandoned if weather or other conditions prevent any play from occurring at all. If the bowler of the first over of play has not started his/her runup when the officials decide to abandon play then the result is termed 'abandoned without a ball being bowled'. Such a game is not included in official
statistical recordsCricket is a sport that generates a large number of statistics.Statistics are recorded for each player during a match, and aggregated over a career. At the professional level, statistics for Test cricket, one-day internationals, and first-class cricket are recorded separately...
.
Prior to July 2004, the same result occurred if the toss had been taken but the match was abandoned before a ball was bowled. Since 2004, the
International Cricket CouncilThe International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
for International matches has decreed that a match where the toss takes place but which is abandoned without a ball being bowled is either a draw or (for a limited-overs match) a no result. Such games are now included in statistical records, counting, for example, as a game played by the teams and nominated players.
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc-news/content/story/138301.html
Awarded
The
umpiresAn umpire in cricket is a person who has the authority to make decisions on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
also have the power to
award a match to one side where the other side either concedes defeat or in the opinion of the umpires refuses to play, in which case the game can be deemed to have been forfeited by the side in question. (Note that this is not the same as the (voluntary)
forefeitureIn the sport of cricket a declaration occurs when a captain declares his team's innings closed and a forfeiture is when a captain chooses to forfeit an innings. Declaration and forfeiture is covered in Law 14 of the Laws of cricket...
of an innings under Law 14.) This power is very rarely used. Before this rule was introduced there had been cases in the international arena where one team has refused to play, or deliberately stopped playing for a while. One notable incident was when
Sri LankaThe Sri Lankan cricket team is a national cricket team representing Sri Lanka. The team first played international cricket in 1926–27, and were later awarded Test status in 1981, which made Sri Lanka the eighth Test playing nation. The Sri Lankan team transformed themselves from underdog status to...
temporarily stopped play against
EnglandThe England cricket team is the cricket team which represents England and Wales. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end of 1996.England and Australia were the first teams...
when
Muttiah MuralitharanMuttiah Muralitharan , often referred to as Murali, is a Sri Lankan cricketer who was rated the greatest Test match bowler ever by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack in 2002....
was called for
throwingLaw 42 of the laws of the sport of cricket covers fair and unfair play. This law has developed and expanded over time as various incidents of real life unfair play have been legislated against....
by umpire
Darrell HairDarrell Bruce Hair, , is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He stood on the Emirates International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and New Zealander Billy Bowden, was appointed to the ICC Elite umpire panel...
.
The only time to date that a
Test matchTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
has been won in this manner is when umpires
Darrell HairDarrell Bruce Hair, , is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He stood on the Emirates International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and New Zealander Billy Bowden, was appointed to the ICC Elite umpire panel...
and
Billy DoctroveBilly Raymond Doctrove was an international football referee but is best known as an international cricket umpire.- Career as a FIFA referee :...
awarded
EnglandThe England cricket team is the cricket team which represents England and Wales. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end of 1996.England and Australia were the first teams...
the Fourth Test against
PakistanThe Pakistan National Cricket Team is an international cricket team representing Pakistan. It is administrated by the Pakistan Cricket Board...
on 20 August 2006 after Pakistan refused to take the field at the scheduled time after tea on the fourth day. This was because Hair alleged that Pakistani bowlers tampered the ball. He did not name a player involved in the incident. Later during the ICC general body meeting in 2008, the result was changed to "match drawn", and then in February 2009 changed back to an England win.
Statement of result
The result of a cricket match is stated in several ways:
- If the side batting last wins the match without losing all its wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Meanings of wicket:-Set of stumps:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s, the result shall be stated as a win by the number of wickets still then to fall.
- For example – in a single-innings match, if Team A bat first and make 200 runs, then Team B make 201 after losing four wickets out of ten, Team B is said to have won by six wickets, regardless of how many batsmen Team A lost during their innings.
- If the side fielding last wins the match, the result shall be stated as a win by runs.
- For example – if Team A bat first and make 200 runs, but Team B make only 192, Team A is said to have won by eight runs.
- Note: If the side batting last has lost all its wickets, but as the result of an award of 5 penalty runs at the end of the match has scored a total of runs in excess of the total scored by the opposing side, the result shall be stated as a win to that side by penalty runs.
- In a two-innings match, if the number of runs scored in its first innings by the side batting last is greater than the total runs scored by the opposition in both its innings, the result is stated as a win by an innings and number of runs short.
- For example – if Team A bat first and make 200 runs in their first innings, Team B make 300 runs in their first innings, and Team A only make 95 runs in their second innings, Team B is said to have won by an innings and five runs.
- If the match is decided by one side conceding defeat or refusing to play, the result shall be stated as Match Conceded or Match Awarded, as the case may be.
- If a match is unfinished when time expires, the result is a draw (this does not apply to limited overs cricket).
- If all batsmen have been dismissed and the totals are exactly equal, the match is a tie.