Cricket Formats Explained: Test, ODI, T20 and the Rest

By the Live Cricket Zone editorial team · Last reviewed 17 September 2026

Cricket is unusual in having several formats that share the same laws but differ in length, and the differences change how the game is played far more than a newcomer might expect. This guide sets out what each format is, the rules that vary between them and how the statistics are kept separate.

The three international formats at a glance

Test cricket

Test matches are played over five days between the twelve nations the ICC has granted Test status. Each side bats twice, there is no limit on overs or on how many a bowler may deliver, and the only fielding restriction is the general law that no more than two fielders may stand behind square on the leg side. Because a match can be drawn if time runs out, Test tactics revolve around time as well as runs: when to declare, whether to enforce the follow-on, how many overs remain in the day. Since 2019 most Tests count towards the World Test Championship. The follow-on and declarations guide covers the decisions unique to this format.

One Day Internationals

ODIs give each side one innings of up to 50 overs. Bowlers are limited to ten overs each, so a captain needs at least five. Fielding restrictions come in three phases (overs 1 to 10, 11 to 40 and 41 to 50) and are explained in the powerplay guide. Two new white balls are used, one from each end, so neither ball gets older than 25 overs. Rain-affected games are decided by the DLS method, and a result needs at least 20 overs per side. The ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy are the format's global events.

Twenty20

T20 gives each side 20 overs and limits bowlers to four each. The first six overs are a powerplay with only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Ties are settled by a Super Over, and a result needs five overs per side. Most T20 competitions also enforce an innings time limit with an in-match penalty for slow over-rates. T20 began in English county cricket in 2003, went international in 2005 and now supports franchise leagues on every continent; see the IPL guide for how the biggest of them is organised.

Shorter formats: T10 and The Hundred

T10 gives each side ten overs, with bowlers limited to two overs each; it is played in a handful of franchise leagues, most prominently in Abu Dhabi. The Hundred, England's domestic competition launched in 2021, gives each side 100 balls instead of overs. Bowlers deliver in blocks of five balls and may bowl ten consecutive balls if the captain chooses; each bowler is limited to 20 balls, the powerplay lasts 25 balls, and a strategic timeout is available to the fielding side. Neither is an international format, and neither counts towards ICC statistics.

How matches are classified for statistics

Statistics are kept in three pools. First-class cricket covers Tests and multi-day domestic competitions such as the County Championship, the Sheffield Shield and the Ranji Trophy, so a player's first-class runs include Tests. List A covers ODIs and domestic one-day competitions of 40 to 60 overs. T20 covers all recognised Twenty20 cricket, international and domestic. Records are also kept separately at international level, which is why you will see a player's "Test average" and "first-class average" quoted as different numbers.

Why the format changes the game

In Tests, batters can wait for bad balls and bowlers can attack with slips and short legs because a wicket matters more than a run. In ODIs the balance shifts through the innings: caution in the first ten overs when the field is up, accumulation in the middle, then acceleration. In T20s every ball is an attacking opportunity for the batter and every dot ball a small win for the bowler, so fielding sides use variation and change of pace rather than sustained pressure. A player who excels in one format is not guaranteed to excel in another, which is one reason selectors pick different squads for each.