Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings and is scheduled to last for up to five days. In the past, some Test matches had no time limit and were called Timeless Tests. The term "test match" was originally coined in 1861–62 but in a different context.
The Australia men's national cricket team represents Australia in men's international cricket. As the joint oldest team in Test cricket history, playing in the first ever Test match in 1877, the team also plays One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket, participating in both the first ODI, against England in the 1970–71 season and the first T20I, against New Zealand in the 2004–05 season, winning both games. The team draws its players from teams playing in the Australian domestic competitions – the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic limited-overs cricket tournament and the Big Bash League.
The New Zealand national cricket team represents New Zealand in men's international cricket. Named the Black Caps, they played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket. From 1930 New Zealand had to wait until 1956, more than 26 years, for its first Test victory, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their first ODI in the 1972–73 season against Pakistan in Christchurch.
Daniel Luca Vettori is a New Zealand cricket coach and former cricketer who played for the New Zealand national cricket team. He was the 200th player to win their Test cricket cap for New Zealand.
The England cricket team represents England and Wales in international cricket. Since 1997, it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club since 1903. England, as a founding nation, is a Full Member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) with Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) status. Until the 1990s, Scottish and Irish players also played for England as those countries were not yet ICC members in their own right.
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a former New Zealand cricketer and the current head coach of the England Cricket Test team. Representing New Zealand, he played all formats, including as captain. McCullum was renowned for his quick scoring, notably recording the fastest test century of all time. He is considered one of the most successful batsmen and captains of New Zealand cricket. As captain, he led New Zealand to the finals of the 2015 Cricket World Cup, where they lost to Australia by 7 wickets. He retired from all forms of cricket in August 2019.
The New Zealand Under-19 cricket team have been playing official Under-19 test matches since 1986. Former captains of the team include Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum, and Ross Taylor
The Fiji national cricket team is the men's team that represents Fiji in international cricket. Fiji has been an associate member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1965, although the team's history goes back to the late 19th century.
The Otago cricket team, nicknamed the Volts since the 1997–98 season, are a New Zealand first-class cricket team which first played representative cricket in 1864. The team represents the Otago, Southland and North Otago regions of New Zealand's South Island. Their main governing board is the Otago Cricket Association which is one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket.
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand from 14 February to 29 March 2015, and was won by Australia. This was the second time the tournament was held in Australia and New Zealand, the first having been the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
The West Indies cricket team toured New Zealand and Australia from November 1930 to March 1931 and played a five-match Test series against the Australia national cricket team. Australia won the series 4–1. Australia were captained by Bill Woodfull, while the West Indies were coached by Jackie Grant. In addition, the West Indians played nine first-class matches against Australian state teams and, in November, one match in New Zealand against Wellington.
An England cricket team toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1863–64 season. This was the second tour of Australia by an English team, the first having been in 1861–62, and the first to visit New Zealand. Like the 1859 team in North America, this team is sometimes referred to as George Parr's XI.
The Australia national cricket team toured New Zealand from February to March 1990 and played a single Test match against the New Zealand national cricket team which New Zealand won. New Zealand were captained by John Wright and Australia by Allan Border. In addition, the teams took part in a Limited Overs International (LOI) tournament with the India national cricket team which Australia won.
The Sri Lankan national cricket team toured New Zealand February to April 1995 and played a two-match Test series against the New Zealand national cricket team. Sri Lanka won the series 1–0. New Zealand were captained by Ken Rutherford and Sri Lanka by Arjuna Ranatunga. In addition, the teams went on to play a three-match series of Limited Overs Internationals (LOI) which New Zealand won 2–1. This was the first time that Sri Lanka won a test as well as a test series in New Zealand.
An English team raised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) toured New Zealand from December 1922 to February 1923 and played eight first-class matches including three against the New Zealand national cricket team. MCC also played the main provincial teams including Auckland (twice), Wellington, Canterbury and Otago. The overall tour included a short stopover in Ceylon, where a single minor match was played, and two visits to Australia where a total of seven first-class matches were played.
The ICC World Test Championship, also referred to as the Test World Cup, is a league competition for Test cricket run by the International Cricket Council (ICC), which started on 1 August 2019. It is the premier championship for Test cricket. It is in line with the ICC's goal of having one pinnacle tournament for each of the three formats of international cricket.
An English team raised by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) toured New Zealand from December 1935 to March 1936 and played eight first-class matches including four against the New Zealand national cricket team. MCC also played the main provincial teams, Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago, and ten non-first-class matches against teams from minor cricket associations.
The Sri Lankan national cricket team toured Australia and New Zealand in February and March 1983 and played a two-match Test series against the New Zealand national cricket team. New Zealand won the series 2–0. New Zealand were captained by Geoff Howarth and Sri Lanka by Somachandra de Silva. In addition, the teams played a three-match series of Limited Overs Internationals (LOI) which New Zealand won 3–0. The Australian leg of the tour consisted of two first-class matches but no Tests.
The New Zealand national cricket team toured Ceylon and Australia in October and November 1937 to play four matches, of which the three Australian matches are rated first-class. The New Zealand team was captained by Curly Page. They played the Ceylonese national team in Colombo and then three Australian state teams.
The New Zealand national cricket team toured Pakistan and Sri Lanka in November and December 1984 to play a three-match Test series against the Pakistani national cricket team. The second Test match of the series was the 1,000th Test to be played. Pakistan won the Test series 2–0. New Zealand were captained by Jeremy Coney and Pakistan by Zaheer Abbas. In addition, New Zealand played two Limited Overs Internationals (LOI) against the Sri Lankan national cricket team and four against Pakistan.
