Cricket's formats explained: Tests, ODIs and T20s
Tests give each side two innings over up to five days, ODIs one innings of up to 50 overs, and T20 internationals one innings of up to 20 overs.
Test, ODI and T20 at a glance
Test, ODI and T20 cricket are the three international formats, and the difference is length. In a Test each side bats twice over as many as five days. In a one-day international (ODI) each side bats once for up to 50 overs. In a T20 international each side bats once for up to 20 overs, and a match usually takes about three hours.
The Laws of Cricket are the same in all three. What changes are the ICC's playing conditions for each format: how many overs a bowler may bowl, where fielders may stand, how many short balls are allowed and what happens after a no-ball or a tie.
Test cricket
Test cricket is the oldest international format, played since 1877. Each side has two innings, and a men's Test is scheduled for five days. Women's Tests are rarer and can be scheduled for four or five days. In a men's Test, the playing conditions set a target of at least 90 overs in a full day's play, and play can run up to 30 minutes late to reach it.
There is no limit on how many overs one bowler may bowl, and no extra fielding restrictions beyond the Laws. Tests are played in whites with a red ball, or a pink ball in day-night Tests. The fielding captain may take a new ball once 80 overs have been bowled with the old one.
A Test can be won, drawn or, very rarely, tied. A draw happens when time runs out before the side batting last has been bowled out or reached its target. That makes declarations and the follow-on (a side that bats first and leads by 200 runs or more after both first innings in a five-day Test can make the other side bat again at once) part of the tactics.
What it asks of a side: batters who can bat for hours, bowlers who can take 20 wickets in changing conditions, and a captain who can judge time. A pitch that helps fast bowlers on the first morning may help spinners on the last afternoon. Since 2019, most Tests have also counted towards the World Test Championship, with its final played every two years.
One-day internationals
The ODI began in 1971. Each side bats once for up to 50 overs, and no bowler may bowl more than 10. Teams play in coloured clothing with a white ball. Under the ICC's current playing conditions, two new balls are used, one from each end, until the end of the 34th over; then the fielding side chooses one of them for the rest of the innings.
Fielding restrictions split the innings into three powerplays. A 30-yard circle is marked around the pitch, and at the moment of delivery:
- overs 1 to 10: no more than two fielders outside the circle;
- overs 11 to 40: no more than four;
- overs 41 to 50: no more than five.
If rain shortens a match, each powerplay is shortened by a set table in the playing conditions, and the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method sets a revised target. Under the ICC's current playing conditions, a tied ODI is decided by a Super Over, repeated until there is a winner.
What it asks of a side: pacing an innings across 50 overs. Openers use the early powerplay, the middle order keeps the score moving without losing wickets, and the last ten overs are for big hitting. Most sides want five or six bowlers who can share the 50 overs, which makes all-rounders valuable. The men's World Cup in this format is played every four years.
T20 internationals
T20 is the newest international format: the first women's T20 international was played in 2004 and the first men's in 2005. Each side bats once for up to 20 overs, and no bowler may bowl more than four.
The first six overs are the powerplay, when only two fielders may be outside the 30-yard circle. After that, no more than five may be outside it. As in ODIs, every no-ball brings a free hit, and a tie goes to a Super Over. A bowler may bowl only one fast short ball, above shoulder height, in each over, against two in Tests and ODIs.
Matches between any two ICC members have had T20 international status since 2018 for women and 2019 for men, so more countries play this format than any other. The T20 World Cup is now held every two years for men and women.
What it asks of a side: scoring fast from the first ball, and bowlers who can hold their nerve in the last overs, when every dot ball counts. Fielding matters more than ever, since one run saved can decide a match. Squads lean on players who can do two jobs: bat and bowl, or keep wicket and open.
The formats side by side
| Test | ODI | T20I | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Innings per side | Two | One | One |
| Length | Up to five days | Up to 50 overs each | Up to 20 overs each |
| Most overs per bowler | No limit | 10 | 4 |
| Fielding restrictions | None beyond the Laws | Three powerplays | Six-over powerplay |
| Ball | Red (pink in day-night Tests) | White | White |
| Fast short balls per over | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Free hit after a no-ball | No | Yes | Yes |
| Unsuccessful reviews per innings | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| A tie | Stands as a tie | Super Over | Super Over |
The numbers for short balls and reviews are from the ICC's men's playing conditions in force from October 2026, and they have changed over the years.
Rules every format shares
Some things never change between formats. An over is six legal balls. A side bats until ten wickets fall, its overs run out, it reaches its target or, in a Test, its captain declares. Under the Laws, no more than two fielders, apart from the wicket-keeper, may stand behind the popping crease on the leg side. And whatever the format, the toss decides who bats first.
Domestic cricket mirrors the three: first-class matches of three days or more, one-day competitions, and the many T20 leagues, which follow the T20 rules with their own changes. Knowing which format you are watching tells you what a good score looks like and why the captain sets the field that way.
Sources
- ICC: Formats of the game
- ICC Men's Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026
- ICC Men's ODI Playing Conditions, October 2026
- ICC Men's T20I Playing Conditions, October 2026
- ICC Women's Test Match Playing Conditions, October 2026
- MCC Laws of Cricket 2017 Code, 4th edition (2026), Law 28.4
- ICC: All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status (2018)
Questions
What is the difference between Test, ODI and T20 cricket?
Length. In a Test each side bats twice over up to five days; in an ODI each side bats once for up to 50 overs; in a T20 international each side bats once for up to 20 overs.
How many overs can a bowler bowl in ODI and T20 cricket?
Ten overs in an ODI and four in a T20 international. There is no limit in a Test.
What is a powerplay in cricket?
A block of overs with tighter fielding restrictions. In ODIs, overs 1 to 10 allow two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, overs 11 to 40 four and overs 41 to 50 five. In T20Is the first six overs allow two, then five.
How many days is a Test match?
Men's Tests are scheduled for five days under the ICC's playing conditions. Women's Tests can be scheduled for four or five days.
What happens if an ODI or T20 match is tied?
Under the ICC's current playing conditions, a Super Over decides it, repeated until there is a winner. A tied Test stays a tie.
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