15 Facts About Test cricket

Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council.

Test cricket did not become an officially recognised format until the 1890s, but many international matches since 1877 have been retrospectively awarded Test status.

Early international Test cricket was disrupted by the French Revolution and the American Civil War.

The earliest international Test cricket match was between the United States and Canada, on 24 and 26 September 1844.

Test cricket status is conferred upon a country or group of countries by the ICC.

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Nine of these teams represent independent sovereign nations: the England Test cricket team represents the constituent countries of England and Wales, the West Indies is a combined team from fifteen Caribbean nations and territories, and Ireland represents both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Zimbabwe's Test cricket status was voluntarily suspended in 2006 because of very poor performances, but its Test cricket status was reinstated in August 2011.

Performances in first-class matches count towards only the first-class statistical record, but performances in Test cricket matches count towards both the Test cricket statistics and the first-class statistics.

Today, Test cricket matches are scheduled to be played across five consecutive days.

Four-day Test cricket matches were last played in 1973, between New Zealand and Pakistan.

The first day-night Test cricket took place during New Zealand's tour to Australia in November 2015.

In Test cricket it has only happened three times, although over 285 follow-ons have been enforced: Australia was the losing team on each occasion, twice to England, in 1894 and in 1981, and once to India in 2001.

Test cricket is almost always played as a series of matches between two countries, with all matches in the series taking place in the same country.

Several pairs of Test cricket teams have established perpetual trophies which are competed for whenever teams play each other in Test cricket series.

Supporters of Test cricket, including Adam Gilchrist, argue that it is "the ultimate test of a player's and team's ability".