There are two nations in the world that play Test matches the longest: England and Australia. There are currently 12 teams that play Test matches. As of June 14, 2018, Afghanistan began playing Test matches.
A member of the ICC, world teams in men’s and women’s cricket are governed by the body. The ICC Constitution governs the body. Currently, the ICC has 104 members. Members of the ICC can choose between two membership types:
- Full Member: Members of the ICC who belong to the national cricket governing bodies may be full members. These members are able to participate in test matches conducted by the ICC. Twelve countries currently participate in these matches. The ICC has inducted Zimbabwe back onto its list.
- Associate Members: Cricket is firmly established and organised in these countries, but they do not qualify as full members. As of right now, 92 countries are affiliated with this category.
Men’s teams are currently represented by 12 teams that play in Test matches. The West Indies, England, and Ireland are the only teams that represent individual, independent nations.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) appoints a country or collection of countries to play tests. In the ICC Intercontinental Cup, teams without Test-playing rights are welcome to participate.
Afghanistan and Ireland were accepted as Full Members of the ICC at the 2017 Annual Conference in London. There are now 12 teams that can take part in the test match.
The list of test match playing teams is as follows;
- England: They got test status on 15 March 1877.
- Aus
- SA: South Africa got test status on 12 March 1889
- WI:
- New Zealand
- India
- Pakistan
- Sri Lanka
- Zimbabwe
- Bangladesh
- Ireland
- Afghanistan
Australia won by 45 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) during the first officially recognized Test match played by the ICC. The match took place between 15–19 March 1877.
In 1932, C K. Nayudu commanded the Indian team in its first test match against England. This match was won by the English by more than 150 runs.
The readers of this article may be wondering what criteria are used to decide which teams will play in the test matches. In order to qualify for playing in test matches, the International Cricket Council has made criteria.
The following criteria must be met;
To become an associate nation, you must compete in and win the Intercontinental Cup, which is an elite competition held every two years.
Associates who win the ICC Intercontinental Cup are eligible to compete against the lowest-ranked Test team once every 4 years as part of the ICC challenge.