01
T20
20 overs a side
The fastest format. Innings run to about 90 minutes each, so risk is taken early and the required run rate drives almost every decision from over one.
AI overview · In short
Understand match formats, scorecards, and common cricket terminology. From T20 to Test cricket, format changes the pace and context of every decision. Our explainers focus on rules, score reading, and responsible boundaries.
Sports guide
Cricket, over by over.
Formats, scorecards, and the terminology commentators use without pausing to explain it. Start here before you follow a live match, and keep responsible boundaries in mind throughout.
Information only · No guaranteed outcome · Adults 18+
Match formats
Three formats, three different games
The laws of cricket stay the same, but the format changes the pace of every decision a team makes.
02
One Day (ODI)
50 overs a side
A middle-distance format with room for a slower build. Powerplay fielding restrictions and the batting phases in the middle overs shape how a total is chased.
03
Test
Up to 5 days
Two innings a side with no over limit. Pitch wear, weather, and fatigue change the game session by session, and a draw is a genuine result.
Reading a scorecard
The terms behind the numbers
A scorecard packs a lot into a few columns. These six terms cover most of what you need to read one properly.
Run rate
Runs scored divided by overs faced. Compare it with the required rate to see how a chase is actually placed.
Extras
Runs added for wides, no-balls, byes, and leg-byes. They count toward the total but not toward any batter's individual score.
Strike rate
A batter's runs per 100 balls faced, used to judge scoring speed rather than the raw run count alone.
Economy rate
Runs a bowler concedes per over on average. A lower figure usually means tighter, more controlled bowling.
Partnership
The runs added by two batters at the crease together, shown alongside the balls it took to build it.
DLS target
A revised target set by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method when overs are lost to weather in a limited-overs match.
Cricket calendar
Where to follow the season
Domestic leagues, international tours, and ICC events overlap across the year. Each guide below covers one part of the calendar.
IPL
A city-based T20 league played across two months, with squad auctions and heavy travel shaping form.
Read the guideWPL
The Women's Premier League: a short, concentrated T20 season on a handful of grounds.
Read the guideT20 World Cup
Groups, a Super Stage, and knockouts, with net run rate deciding tight finishes.
Read the guideChampions Trophy
A compact ODI event where a single defeat in the group stage can end a campaign.
Read the guideFull calendar
How domestic, international, and franchise seasons overlap across the year.
Read the guideAnswers
Questions about following cricket
Format differences, reading a chase, and where schedules can move.
A T20 innings is capped at 20 overs, so risk is taken early. A Test can last five days, and conditions and fatigue change how each session is played.
It shows runs, wickets and overs for each innings. Reading run rate against required rate is the quickest way to see how a chase is going.
In limited-overs games a revised target can be set for the shortened innings, so the side batting second may face a different total.
Series windows are published early, but individual match days and venues can move. Check the host board's announcement close to the date.
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