First-class cricket

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A first-class cricket match is one of three or more days duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class. Matches must allow for the teams to play two innings each, although a team in practice might only play one innings.

First-class cricket is an aspect of major cricket and is not major cricket per se, as is sometimes thought. Major cricket includes limited overs cricket, single wicket and other forms in which players and/or teams of high standard are playing. These forms are not first-class cricket but they are equally as important.

Official judgment of status is the responsibility of the governing body in each country that is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The governing body grants first-class status to international teams and to domestic teams that are representative of the country's highest playing standard. It is possible for international teams from associate members of the ICC to achieve first-class status but it is dependent on the status of their opponents in a given match.

Test cricket, although the highest standard of major cricket, is itself a form of first-class cricket, although the term "first-class" is mainly used to refer to domestic competition only. A player's first-class statistics include his performances in Test matches.

Generally, first-class matches are eleven players a side but there have been exceptions. Equally, although first-class matches must now be scheduled to have at least three days' duration, there have historically been exceptions.

Origin of first-class cricket

The term "first-class cricket" was defined by the then Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) in May 1947 as a match of three or more days duration between two sides of eleven players officially adjudged first-class; the governing body in each country to decide the status of teams. Significantly, it was stated that the definition does not have retrospective effect. Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was authorised to determine the status of matches played in Great Britain.

Prior to 1947, the only definition of first-class cricket in Great Britain dates from a meeting at Lord's in May 1894 between the MCC committee and the secretaries of the clubs involved in the official County Championship, which had begun in 1890. As a result, those clubs became officially first-class from 1895 along with MCC, Cambridge University, Oxford University, major cricket touring teams and other teams designated as such by MCC.

The position with matches played before 1895 is that each writer or statistician can make up his own mind about which games should be ranked first-class and which should not. So each statistician must compile his own list of first-class matches prior to 1895 and, in contravention of the ICC directive, the allocation of first-class status to matches before 1895 is necessarily retrospective. As a result, there are notable differences in published statistical records with particular impact on the career records of W G Grace and Jack Hobbs.

For a full discussion of this scenario, see : Variations in First-Class Cricket Statistics.

In the context of pre-1895 matches, first-class cricket is essentially a statistical concept and not a historical one. Historians record the importance of a match in contemporary terms regardless of 21st century ideas. Thus, to a cricket historian, the inter-county match between Kent and Surrey in 1709 has the same importance as the County Championship match between the same two counties in 2007. In short, both are major cricket matches and both (presumably) met the requirements of the first-class match definition.

At one time, some cricket statisticians held that the 1864 season marked the origin of English first-class cricket because that was when overarm bowling was officially introduced. This date was rejected by historians who argued that standards of play during the so-called "roundarm era" could not be termed "second-class". One prominent statistician then effectively challenged the 1864 date by producing a book of records that began in 1815, the year in which cricket began its recovery from the impact of the Napoleonic War.

The 1864 date has been further rejected by reference to other nations. Australia's first-class cricket records begin in February 1851. In New Zealand, the original first-class match took place in January 1864. In the West Indies, the first match was in February 1865. Cricket in the other Test nations began much later. The inaugural first-class match in South Africa was also the country's first Test match in March 1889. In the sub-continent, India was the first to stage first-class cricket in August 1892. In addition, first-class cricket in North America is deemed to have begun in October 1880, before being discontinued in 1913.

Although 1815 ensured that the whole of the roundarm era was included in the first-class records, roundarm did not begin in any real sense until 1827 and was not legalised until 1835; and even then the Laws had to be reinforced in 1845 by removing the benefit of the doubt from the bowler in the matter of his hand’s height when delivering the ball. For most of the period from 1815 to 1845, underarm bowling continued to prevail and so 1815 as the point of origin was resisted by champions of the "underarm era" which had existed from time immemorial.

There is in English cricket a continuous though incomplete statistical record from 1772 and there are surviving scorecards from a few earlier games, including two in 1744. Some statisticians hold that the earlier games are too isolated for inclusion and that the timespan of first-class cricket for statistical purposes should commence in 1772.

As a result, some statisticians began to include games from the 18th century in their first-class records. It should be noted here that a catastrophic fire occurred at Lord's Cricket Ground on the night of Thursday 28 July 1825. The pavilion burned down and many invaluable and irreplaceable records were lost. It is believed that these included unique scorecards of early matches. The main difficulty encountered by researchers before the Lord's fire is the absence of match details and there are numerous matches in the 18th century which are known about in name only, with no scores having survived.

The Association of Cricket Statisticians (ACS) formed a view sometime since 1980 that the first-class records should include all Gentlemen v Players matches, which began in 1806, but for some reason that was never fully explained, the ACS decided to start its matchlist in the century convenient year of 1801, "pending further research". In its spring 2006 journal, the ACS admitted that it could not decide upon its position vis-à-vis 18th century records because of missing or incomplete scorecards. Given that there is a mass of available data since 1772, the ACS has been criticised for neglecting to use what it does have on account of what it does not have. Incidentally, it is by no means certain that there is a complete statistical record of matches between 1801 and 1825, especially given the loss of records in the Lord's fire. Certainly, there are no complete bowling figures in that period.

It was only in 2005 that the ACS' 1801 startpoint was seriously challenged. Scorecards for all known matches prior to 1801 have been loaded into the CricketArchive database and there classified as "major" or "minor" pending an overall accord with the ACS about first-class status. Given that CricketArchive uses a major classification, this effectively confirms that the matches concerned were first-class providing they were not single wicket, the other form of major cricket that was popular at the time.

The latest view that has been published by the ACS is that the point of origin for first-class cricket's historical record is 1660, or thereabouts. Historical evidence points to this date, in the aftermath of the Restoration as the time when teams of "county strength" were first assembled. It is therefore argued [1] that 1660 is the startpoint for the historical record of first-class cricket in England, so as to encompass all matches that ultimately come to light; and that 1772 is the startpoint for the statistical record of first-class cricket.

Definition of first-class cricket

As well as domestic competition, it is typical for international teams touring another country to play warm-up first-class matches against domestic teams. However, with the increasing schedule of international players and consequent more tightly-scheduled tours, the number of such one-off games is decreasing. According to the International Cricket Council, a match is first class if:

  • It is of three or more days scheduled duration
  • Each side playing the match has eleven players
  • The match is played on natural, and not artificial, turf
  • The match is played on an international standard ground
  • The match conforms to the Laws of Cricket, except for only minor amendments
  • The Board of cricket in the appropriate nation or the International Cricket Council recognizes the match as first-class.

A Test Match is a first class match played between two Full Member countries given the status of a Test match-playing nation by the International Cricket Council, following the Playing Conditions for Test Matches established by the International Cricket Council, and following various other regulations.

The following matches or competitions are also recognized as first-class by the appropriate Boards of Cricket, providing the above regulations are met:

  • Australia
    • Pura Cup matches.
    • 'Australia A' versus Australian XI
    • 'Australia A' versus first class opponents, including State teams
    • Australian XI versus first class opponents, including State teams
    • A first class team versus a touring first class team
  • New Zealand
    • State Championship matches
    • New Zealand 'A' versus a Cricket association, provided the association is affiliated to New Zealand Cricket
    • A cricket association versus another cricket association, provided that the associations are affiliated to New Zealand Cricket
    • New Zealand 'A' versus a first class opponent
    • A cricket association versus a first class opponent, provided the association is affiliated to New Zealand Cricket
    • A first class team versus a touring first class team
  • Pakistan
    • Quaid-e-Azam Trophy matches
    • Cricket Associations and Departments (corporate teams) versus each other, or other first class opponents, provided the associations or departments are affiliated to the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the match is organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board
    • Pakistan 'A' versus a touring Test team or Kenya
    • Pakistan versus a touring 'A' team from a Test country or Kenya
    • Pakistan 'A' versus a touring 'A' team from a Test country or Kenya
    • A first class team versus a touring first class team
  • Zimbabwe
    • Logan Cup Matches
    • A cricket association versus another cricket association, provided the associations are affiliated to the Zimbabwe Cricket Union
    • A first class team versus a touring first class team
  • Kenya (Not a Test Team)
    • A first class team (including touring Test teams) versus Kenya
  • Other Non-Test Full Member Countries
    • Non-Test Full Member Country versus a first class touring team, with the consent of the touring team
    • Official Test Trial matches.
    • Special matches between teams adjudged first class by the Board(s) of cricket concerned, with the approval of the International Cricket Council
    • Games played for the ICC Intercontinental Cup. This competition involves teams from Canada, Bermuda, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Kenya, Namibia and UAE.

Notes:

  • A first class opponent is a team recognized as first class in its home country, and includes foreign touring Test teams (some first class teams are not entitled to play first class matches in other countries; such determinations are made by the local Board of cricket)
  • The 'A' Team and the 'XI' Team are the representatives of a nation subordinate to the Test team, and are not always adjudged first class

Conduct of a game of first-class cricket

The game is conducted similarly to Test cricket, though usually with maximum length three or four days rather than five. Due to the time demands of such a competition, first-class cricketers are mostly paid professionals. Around the world, teams are usually representative of political districts — for instance, Australia's domestic first-class competition is between state representative teams.

The follow-on rule

The follow-on minimum lead requirement in any two-innings cricket match is:

  • Five or more days — 200 runs
  • Three or four days — 150 runs
  • Two days — 100 runs
  • One day — 75 runs

If the whole first day of play is abandoned without a ball being bowled, then the number of days considered for the sake of calculating follow on are counted from the actual start of play. For example, if the first day of a four-day match is abandoned due to weather or other reasons, then the match is counted as a three-day one for the sake of determining follow on. (This would not make a difference if only one day is lost in a four-day match because the follow on requirement is the same for matches of four or three days.)



References

  1. ↑ 1801 – the start of first-class cricket?

External sources

Further reading

  • H S Altham, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962
  • Derek Birley, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999
  • John Major, More Than A Game, HarperCollins, 2007
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