Test cricket

Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is regarded by many players and fans as the ultimate test of playing ability (as compared to One-day International cricket). The name "Test" is thought to arise from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength" between the sides involved. It seems to have been used first to described an English team that toured Australia in 1861/62, although these matches are not considered Test matches today.

Test cricket playing nations

There are currently ten Test-playing nations. Test status is conferred upon a country by the International Cricket Council. Countries that do not have Test status can only officially play a shortened version of cricket. The nations are listed below with the date of each nation's Test debut shown in brackets:

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• Australia (15th March, 1877)
• England (15th March, 1877)
• South Africa (12th March, 1889) (Note: Banned from international cricket from 1970 to 1991 due to their policy of apartheid)
• West Indies (23rd June, 1928)
• New Zealand (10th January, 1930)
• India (25th June, 1932) (Note: pre-1947 India included Pakistan and Bangladesh. See History of India.)
• Pakistan (16th October,1952) (Note: pre-1971 Pakistan included Bangladesh. See History of Pakistan)
• Sri Lanka (17th February, 1982)
• Zimbabwe (18th October, 1992)
• Bangladesh (10th November, 2000)

Zimbabwe's Test matches were temporarily suspended from June 10, 2004, to 6 January, 2005, although they retained their status as a Test-playing nation. See the Zimbabwean cricket team article for more details. In 2003, the ICC announced its intention to confer Test status upon Kenya in the near future.

Related Topics:
June 10 - 2004 - 6 January - 2005 - Zimbabwean cricket team - 2003 - Kenya

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