What Are the Differences Between First Class, Test and List A in Cricket?

First class is a multi-day match at a particular level, while a Test match is a specific type of first class match. A List A match is a one-day match at a particular level.

To qualify as a first class match, a cricket match must:

• Be scheduled for two innings for each side.
• Be scheduled for at least three days.
• Be between two sides of a particular level. (This usually means between teams that are either countries or the highest level of regional sides in a country such as in the English County Championship.)

First class matches must also follow certain rules about venues (including using a natural pitch) and follow the normal laws of cricket. This excludes some warm-up matches on international tours where, for example, the sides may agree to use more than 11 players across the game to give more players a chance to get into form.

A test match is a specific type of first class match. As well as meeting the general criteria of a first class match, a test match will normally last five days for men and either four or five days for women. (This isn’t a hard and fast rule as, for example, England and Ireland’s men’s teams have played test matches scheduled for four days.)

A test match must be between two nations that are full members of the International Cricket Council. At the time of writing this is: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

A List A match is the one-day cricket version of a first class match. It generally covers:

• One Day Internationals (including teams that do not have test status.)
• The highest level of one-day competition in a full member country.
• A tour match between a test country and a regional team that plays in a first class competition.

As with first class matches, List A matches must follow the normal laws and playing conditions of cricket.