How Long A Cricket Game Is? – Every Cricket Formats

How Long A Cricket Game Is? – Every Cricket Formats

how long a cricket game is

Cricket is one of the longest sports in the whole world. This is why many people think that cricket is the most boring game to follow. However, some people find it entertaining and exciting to follow these professional matches. Because when a single match could last up to 9 days, then things might take unexpected turns.

This is why the game is a little confusing for beginner bettors but extremely exciting for experienced players. The best online cricket betting sites in Canada sometimes let you bet on the match even while it is still in play. However, the odds will change in tandem with the live results. If you are planning to place bets on gambling, then you should know how long a cricket game is.

How Long A Cricket Game Is

In the game of cricket, there is no time limit like in most other sports. Therefore, cricket consists of different sessions. These sessions last usually two hours. They have breaks or lunch and a break for tea. Therefore, cricket is a strange game where players go home and pick up from where they left off. The answer to why the game works like this probably lies behind Who Invented Cricket.

Because the sport was invented by kids playing in Southern England. Therefore, instead of giving a time limit to their matches. They simply walked home and continued the other day. The fact that it became an adult and later a professional sport has affected how long a cricket game is. This is why they created different formats.

The Different Cricket Formats

There are different types of formats to pick and play when it comes to cricket. Therefore, you don’t have to spend days of your life only to finish a single cricket match.

how long a cricket game is
Picture Source: Pixabay

However, if you are new to betting on or playing cricket. Then you should start this hobby expecting long waiting times or playing times. There are three formats to select from, and they both change how long a cricket game is. The formats are the following:

  • Test Matches
  • One Day Internationals.
  • Twenty20 Internationals.

One-day internationals are self-explanatory when it comes to the length of different types of formats. The Day international matches will last up to around 9 hours. Because they are just a little longer than your usual Twenty20 casual sessions.

Test Match Length

According to Cricket Mastery, a match typically lasts for five days. However, unique complications can increase the length of the game in all modes. Each day, they usually play for 7 hours and 30 minutes. Therefore, a professional test match lasts for 8 hours a day. 

There are three different blocks in the game. We refer to them as one session. They each last for two hours, except the last one which lasts for two hours and thirty minutes. Additionally, there is a 40 minutes lunch break and a 20 minutes tea break. However, the winner of the game needs at least 90 overs before it could reach a conclusion.

How Long A Cricket Game Is in Twenty20 Format

This is probably one of the quickest formats in cricket. Because this format completes a match in just three hours. This format is supported by special events, or by non-professional players. Because this is similar to how other sports play.

how long a cricket game is
Picture Source: Pixabay

Each inning lasts for 90 minutes, with a 10-minute break between every single inning. The Twenty20 Format has been invented in 2009. Therefore, it became one of the most popular game mode for people to play on the everyday basis.

The Longest Match – How long a cricket game is at maximum

According to Britannica, the longest ever professional match lasted for 9 days, with 680 overs bowled. It was a match between South Africa and England. Therefore, the teams did not surrender or forfeit and they played until the very end of the match.

This match has earned the name: The Timeless Test. The record in professional cricket play is yet to be reached. There are more iconic matches such as this, mentioned among the Weirdest Cricket Stories. Most of the time you can bet on the length of a match between two teams. Therefore, for bettors, the lack of a time limit adds another layer of betting possibilities.

Cricket Is The Longest Professional Sport

According to Cricketers Hub, the following statistics represent how long a cricket game is. Test match lasts up to 5 days, with 90 overs per day.

how long a cricket game is
Picture Source: Wikimedia Commons

However first-class matches usually last between three to five days, with the same amount of overs bowled daily. The overs are dictating the length of the game, and not hours. Therefore, 10 overs are around 1.5 hours of cricket. That makes 50 overs to be around 8 hours. If the rule for a game is to have 100 balls per side, then the game lasts for around 2.5 hours.

Bet on professional cricket

If you are interested in betting on how long a cricket game is. Then you should visit ComeOn Sportsbook. They are known for having various formats and betting lines included for every sport available in their services. Therefore, it is best for every Canadian citizen who is looking to place bets on any type of sport.

That being said, the website is based in Canada, so you might have to find alternatives if you are not reading this in Canada. Those who are from a different country should visit the sportsbook of their respective country. You can find these listed in our sportsbook dictionary. Furthermore, we covered Where to watch cricket in the USA.

Click here to try the best odds at ComeOn Sportsbook 

Zsolt

A fan of online gambling and betting on cricket. Providing valuable cricket betting tips, opinions, and predictions using personal experience and data.

Current Events

Featured Betting Sites