First-class cricket
Encyclopedia
First-class cricket is a class of cricket
that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings
each, although, in practice, a team might only play one innings or none at all.
Test cricket
, although the highest standard of cricket, is itself a form of first-class cricket, although the term "first-class" is commonly used to refer to domestic competition only. A player's first-class statistics include his performances in Test matches.
Generally, first-class matches are eleven players a side but there have been exceptions. Equally, although first-class matches must now be scheduled to have at least three days' duration, there have historically been exceptions.
Due to the time demands of first-class competition, the players are mostly paid professionals, though historically many players were designated amateur. First-class teams are usually representative of a geopolitical region such as an English county, an Australian state or a West Indian nation.
in May 1894 between the Marylebone Cricket Club
(MCC) committee and the secretaries of the clubs involved in the official County Championship
, which had begun in 1890. As a result, those clubs became first-class from 1895 along with MCC, Cambridge University
, Oxford University
, senior cricket touring teams and other teams designated as such by MCC.
(ICC) in May 1947 as a match of three or more days duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class; the governing body in each country to decide the status of teams. Significantly, it was stated that the definition does not have retrospective effect. MCC was authorised to determine the status of matches played in Great Britain.
For all intents and purposes, the 1947 ICC definition confirmed the 1895 MCC definition and gave it international recognition and usage.
Hence, official judgment of status is the responsibility of the governing body in each country that is a full member of the International Cricket Council
(ICC). The governing body grants first-class status to international teams and to domestic teams that are representative of the country's highest playing standard. It is possible for international teams from associate members of the ICC to achieve first-class status but it is dependent on the status of their opponents in a given match.
According to the ICC definition, a match is first-class if:
A Test match is a first-class match played between two ICC full member countries subject to their current status at the ICC and the application of ICC conditions when the match is played.
A peculiarity of the two-innings match is the follow-on rule. If the team that batted second is substantially behind on first innings total, it may be required to bat again (i.e., to immediately follow on from its first innings) in the third innings of the match. In first-class cricket, the follow-on minimum lead requirement depends on match duration. In a Test or other match with five or more days duration, the team batting second can be asked to follow on if 200 or more runs behind. If the match duration is three or four days, the minimum lead is 150 runs.
For a description of the statistical differences, see : Variations in first-class cricket statistics
Notes:
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings
Innings
An 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. In cricket, the term innings is both singular and plural and is...
each, although, in practice, a team might only play one innings or none at all.
Test cricket
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, although the highest standard of cricket, is itself a form of first-class cricket, although the term "first-class" is commonly used to refer to domestic competition only. A player's first-class statistics include his performances in Test matches.
Generally, first-class matches are eleven players a side but there have been exceptions. Equally, although first-class matches must now be scheduled to have at least three days' duration, there have historically been exceptions.
Due to the time demands of first-class competition, the players are mostly paid professionals, though historically many players were designated amateur. First-class teams are usually representative of a geopolitical region such as an English county, an Australian state or a West Indian nation.
MCC 1895
Prior to 1947, the only definition of first-class cricket had been one in Great Britain that dated from a meeting at Lord'sLord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
in May 1894 between the Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
(MCC) committee and the secretaries of the clubs involved in the official County Championship
County Championship
The County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
, which had begun in 1890. As a result, those clubs became first-class from 1895 along with MCC, Cambridge University
Cambridge University Cricket Club
Cambridge University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team. It now plays all but one of its first-class cricket matches as part of the Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence , which includes Anglia Ruskin University...
, Oxford University
Oxford University Cricket Club
Oxford University Cricket Club is a first-class cricket team, representing the University of Oxford. It plays its home games at the University Parks in Oxford, England...
, senior cricket touring teams and other teams designated as such by MCC.
ICC 1947
The term "first-class cricket" was formally defined by the then Imperial Cricket ConferenceInternational Cricket Council
The 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...
(ICC) in May 1947 as a match of three or more days duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class; the governing body in each country to decide the status of teams. Significantly, it was stated that the definition does not have retrospective effect. MCC was authorised to determine the status of matches played in Great Britain.
For all intents and purposes, the 1947 ICC definition confirmed the 1895 MCC definition and gave it international recognition and usage.
Hence, official judgment of status is the responsibility of the governing body in each country that is a full member of the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The 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...
(ICC). The governing body grants first-class status to international teams and to domestic teams that are representative of the country's highest playing standard. It is possible for international teams from associate members of the ICC to achieve first-class status but it is dependent on the status of their opponents in a given match.
According to the ICC definition, a match is first-class if:
- it is of three or more days scheduled duration
- each side playing the match has eleven players
- each side may have two innings
- the match is played on natural, and not artificial, turf
- the match is played on an international standard ground
- the match conforms to the Laws of CricketLaws of cricketThe laws of cricket are a set of rules established by the Marylebone Cricket Club which describe the laws of cricket worldwide, to ensure uniformity and fairness. There are currently 42 laws, which outline all aspects of how the game is played from how a team wins a game, how a batsman is...
, except for only minor amendments - the sport’s governing body in the appropriate nation, or the ICC itself, recognises the match as first-class.
A Test match is a first-class match played between two ICC full member countries subject to their current status at the ICC and the application of ICC conditions when the match is played.
A peculiarity of the two-innings match is the follow-on rule. If the team that batted second is substantially behind on first innings total, it may be required to bat again (i.e., to immediately follow on from its first innings) in the third innings of the match. In first-class cricket, the follow-on minimum lead requirement depends on match duration. In a Test or other match with five or more days duration, the team batting second can be asked to follow on if 200 or more runs behind. If the match duration is three or four days, the minimum lead is 150 runs.
Matches played before the MCC and ICC definitions
The absence of any ruling about matches played before 1947 (or before 1895 in Great Britain) has caused problems for cricket historians and especially statisticians who have been forced to compile their own matchlists. Inevitable differences have arisen and there are variations in published first-class statistics.For a description of the statistical differences, see : Variations in first-class cricket statistics
Variations in first-class cricket statistics
Variations in first-class cricket statistics have come about because there is no official view of the status of cricket matches played before 1947. As a result, historians and statisticians have compiled differing lists of matches that they recognise as first-class. The problem is significant where...
Recognised matches
The following matches or competitions are recognised as first-class by the appropriate governing bodies, providing the conditions of the ICC definition are met:- England & Wales
- County ChampionshipCounty ChampionshipThe County Championship is the domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales...
matches - Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
versus a first-class county - Oxford UniversityUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
versus Cambridge UniversityUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally... - Cambridge, Durham, Oxford and Loughborough University Centres of Cricketing Excellence matches versus first-class counties
- A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- County Championship
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Sheffield Shield matches.
- 'Australia A' versus Australian XI
- 'Australia A' versus first-class opponents, including State teams
- Australian XI versus first-class opponents, including State teams
- A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- SuperSport SeriesSuperSport SeriesThe SuperSport Series is the main domestic first class cricket competition in South Africa, first contested in 1889-90. From 1990-91 it became known as the Castle Cup, and from 1996-97 by its current title...
matches (involving the pro 6 franchises) - South African Airways Provincial ChallengesSouth African Airways Provincial ChallengesThe South African cricket championship, the SuperSport Series, was remodelled in 2004-05 with six franchise teams competing. Two extra domestic competitions were introduced that are called the South African Airways Provincial Three-Day Challenge and the South African Airways Provincial One-Day...
(16 provincial teams and Namibia) - A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- SuperSport Series
- West Indies
- Red Stripe Cup matches
- Beaumont CupBeaumont CupThe Beaumont Cup was a Trinidadian First-class cricket cup which regional sides competed for, with the matches taking place over three days.- History :...
matches - Guystac TrophyGuystac TrophyThe Guystac Trophy was a Guyanese inter-county cricket tournament, the final of which had first-class status. The tournament was played annually, the final being usually between Demerara and Berbice, two former colonies and now counties of Guyana. The only exception came in 1980/81 when a side...
matches - A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Ranji TrophyRanji TrophyThe Ranji Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, equivalent to the County Championship in England and the Sheffield Shield in Australia...
matches - Duleep TrophyDuleep TrophyThe Duleep Trophy is a domestic first-class cricket competition played in India between teams representing geographical zones of India. The competition is named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji .-History:...
matches - Irani TrophyIrani TrophyThe Irani Cup tournament was conceived during the 1959-60 season to mark the completion of 25 years of the Ranji Trophy championship and was named after the late Z.R. Irani, who was associated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India from its inception in 1928, till his death in 1970...
matches - A State or regional associations versus another state or regional association, provided the associations are affiliated to the Board of Control for Cricket in IndiaBoard of Control for Cricket in IndiaThe Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered at Mumbai, is the national governing body for all cricket in India. It's not the apex governing body in India. The board was formed in December 1928 as BCCI replaced Calcutta Cricket Club. BCCI is a society, registered under the Tamil Nadu...
- A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- Ranji Trophy
- New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
- State Championship matches
- New Zealand 'A' versus a Cricket association, provided the association is affiliated to New Zealand CricketNew Zealand CricketNew Zealand Cricket, formerly the New Zealand Cricket Board, is the governing body for professional cricket in New Zealand. Cricket is the most popular and highest profile summer sport in New Zealand....
- A cricket association versus another cricket association, provided that the associations are affiliated to New Zealand Cricket
- New Zealand 'A' versus a first-class opponent
- A cricket association versus a first-class opponent, provided the association is affiliated to New Zealand Cricket
- A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
- Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches
- Patron's TrophyPatron's TrophyThe Patron's Trophy is a Pakistani first class cricket competition. It was first played in 1960-61 as the Ayub Trophy and remained so for ten years. In 1970-71 it became the BCCP Trophy and two years later it received the title Patron's Trophy....
matches - Pentangular TrophyPentangular Trophy-History:It was first contested in 1973-74 and later in the decade the competition's name was changed the BCCP Invitation Tournament. In 1980-81 it became the PACO Cup and remained so for a further five seasons. For the rest of the decade the tournament didn't take place and it wasn't until the...
matches - Cricket Associations and Departments (corporate teams) versus each other, or other first-class opponents, provided the associations or departments are affiliated to the Pakistan Cricket BoardPakistan Cricket BoardThe Pakistan Cricket Board is a sporting organization that is responsible for governing all professional cricket including Test cricket and One Day International matches played in Pakistan...
, and the match is organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board - Pakistan 'A' versus a touring Test team or Kenya
- Pakistan versus a touring 'A' team from a Test country or Kenya
- Pakistan 'A' versus a touring 'A' team from a Test country or Kenya
- A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- Sri LankaSri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
- Premier League (Division I) Matches
- Sri Lanka Telecom Inter-Provincial matches
- Sri Lanka 'A' (or another team designated by Sri Lanka CricketSri Lanka CricketSri Lanka Cricket, formerly the Board for Cricket Control in Sri Lanka , is the controlling body for cricket in Sri Lanka. It operates the Sri Lankan cricket team and first-class cricket within Sri Lanka....
) versus a touring 'A' team - A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- ZimbabweZimbabweZimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
- Logan CupLogan CupThe Logan Cup is the premier domestic first-class cricket competition in Zimbabwe. The current champions are the Matabeleland Tusker.-History:...
Matches - A cricket association versus another cricket association, provided the associations are affiliated to the Zimbabwe CricketZimbabwe CricketZimbabwe Cricket is the governing body for the sport of cricket in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Cricket is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and operates the Zimbabwean cricket team, organising Test tours, One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals with other nations...
- A first-class team versus a touring first-class team
- Logan Cup
- BangladeshBangladeshBangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
- National Cricket League of BangladeshNational Cricket League of BangladeshThe National Cricket League is the domestic first class cricket competition in Bangladesh.The National Cricket League had in fact been inaugurated in the 1999–2000 season but was not then first-class...
Matches - Bangladesh A team verses another touring A team
- National Cricket League of Bangladesh
- KenyaKenyaKenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
- A first-class team (including touring Test teams) versus Kenya
- Other Non-Test Full Member Countries
- Scotland versus Ireland
- Non-Test Full Member Country versus a first-class touring team, with the consent of the touring team
- Official Test Trial matches.
- Special matches between teams adjudged first-class by the Board(s) of cricket concerned, with the approval of the International Cricket Council
- Games played for the 2011-13 ICC Intercontinental Cup. This competition involves teams from Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, NamibiaNamibia national cricket teamThe Namibia cricket team is the team that represents the country of Namibia in international cricket matches. It is governed by Cricket Namibia, an associate member of the International Cricket Council since 1992 and became part of the High Performance Program in 2007. They took part in the 2003...
, Netherlands, Scotland and the United Arab Emirates.
Notes:
- A first-class opponent is a team recognized as first-class in its home country, and includes foreign touring Test teams (some first-class teams are not entitled to play first-class matches in other countries; such determinations are made by the local Board of cricket)
- The 'A' Team and the 'XI' Team are the representatives of a nation subordinate to the Test team, and are not always adjudged first-class
See also
- Variations in first-class cricket statisticsVariations in first-class cricket statisticsVariations in first-class cricket statistics have come about because there is no official view of the status of cricket matches played before 1947. As a result, historians and statisticians have compiled differing lists of matches that they recognise as first-class. The problem is significant where...
- List of current first-class cricket teams