How long is a Test match in the Ashes?
How many days?!
Test cricket is the pinnacle, the sport's ultimate challenge. An examination of a cricketer's technical, physical, and mental ability.
Conditions change, the physical workload can be immense, and there is time, time, time for numerous ebbs and flows.
While the all-action nature of the white-ball game has brought money into the sport and attracts massive crowds, Tests remain the pinnacle for many players and fans. The format presents unique challenges rarely seen in mainstream sport.
And always, always, the clock marches on, ball after ball, session after session, day after day, in sunshine or rain.
RadioTimes.com brings you a simplified explainer of how long a Test match lasts, how it all works and what happens if the dreaded R-word pours from the sky.
How long is a Test match?
Ashes Test matches last for five days. There are three sessions per day, each scheduled to be around two hours apiece, and there is a target of 90 overs completed per day of play.
Unlike in England, where session timings are uniform between grounds, the timings for Ashes Tests in Australia vary depending on the venue.
Ashes Tests in Australia start between 10am and 10:30am, with players coming off for lunch, which lasts for 40 minutes, between 12pm and 12:30pm if there are no delays.
The afternoon session begins after lunch, between 12:40pm and 1:10pm, and runs until tea, which lasts 20 minutes and is taken between 2:40pm and 3:10pm.
The evening session is scheduled to start between 3pm and 3:30pm. An extra half an hour can be taken if fewer than 90 overs have been bowled in the allotted time and is commonplace due to slow over rates.
Day/night Test matches run to different timings, with play beginning in the afternoon and running into the night with floodlights used for the final hours.
Some other Tests – often those between lower-ranked nations – only last four days.
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How a Test match works
In most Test matches, both teams will bat twice. A coin toss on the first morning of the game gives the winning captain a choice of whether to bat or bowl first.
The team batting first will bat until they have lost 10 wickets or choose to declare. The other team then begin their innings, aiming to catch and ideally go past their opponent’s score.
Usually, the team which batted first will also bat in the third innings, though they can force their opponent to follow on if they trail by more than 199 runs after both teams have batted.
A team wins a Test match by scoring more runs than their opponent over the two innings.
If by the end of the five days, the final innings has not been completed, either by one team chasing down the target score or taking all 10 wickets, then the match will be drawn.
What happens if it rains?
As a summer sport, cricket is not played in the rain. Play will not begin if it is raining or if the ground is too wet. Players will be instructed to pause play by the umpires if there is significant rain during a Test match, which can lead to adjusted schedules and timing.
There are no reserve days in Test cricket (apart from the World Test Championship final) to compensate for rain. Considerable rain, including losing a full day, significantly increases the chance of the match ending in a draw.
Umpires will also postpone play due to bad light. Light meters are used to take a reading for the first time this happens in a match, and play will be halted if light gets to that level again during the Test.
How to watch The Ashes on TV and live stream
The Ashes will be shown live on TNT Sports.
There are multiple ways to get TNT Sports. If you already have BT Broadband, you can add TNT Sports to your existing contract from just £18 per month. You can add the ‘Big Sport’ package for £40 per month which includes all TNT Sports and 11 Sky Sports channels via a NOW pass.
You can also access TNT Sports via discovery+ and stream directly to your smart TV.
You can watch the Ashes on TNT Sports via discovery+ Premium monthly pass without signing up to a contract.
Regular subscribers can also stream matches on a variety of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets via the discovery+ app.
discovery+ is the new streaming home of TNT Sports, showing events including live Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Premiership Rugby, UFC, Boxing and MotoGP. Learn more here: discoveryplus.com
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