How long is a Cricket World Cup match?
Navigating the various formats and lengths of cricket matches can be a labyrinth.
Don’t worry. This isn’t that version of cricket that lasts five days and ends in a draw. The ODI World Cup, which stands for one-day international, sees matches last for, yep, one day.
However, that doesn’t require you to set aside all your plans and park yourself in front of the television for eight-ish hours to be able to follow it.
With the competition taking place in India, the time zones are particularly kind for those watching in the UK, with all matches starting between 6am and 9:30am. This is the Work From Home World Cup.
Get up in the morning, whack the TV on and let the cricket roll through in the background.
Pay attention to the important bits, ignore the boring ones and it’ll all be over just in time for you to log off from Teams and head to the pub, theatre or five-a-side to discuss the cricket with your mates.
RadioTimes.com rounds up how long you can expect to be sat in front of your TV with the cricket on during any given match.
Read more CWC guides and explainers: Cricket World Cup TV | Cricket World Cup fixtures | Cricket World Cup radio coverage | England's next match | Net Run Rate explained | Who has won most CWC titles? | A-Z of the Cricket World Cup by Wisden Cricket Monthly
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How long is a Cricket World Cup match?
Each team gets to bat for 50 overs. And each over lasts six balls. So, to think of it another way, each team gets to bat for 300 balls. And then they swap.
Matches for this World Cup will, for the most part, go for around a maximum of eight hours, but can finish quicker if teams get bowled out particularly quickly.
In the group stage, matches that finish as a tie will see the teams score a point each (two are awarded for a win), while ties in the semi-final and final will see teams play a Super Over.
A Super Over is where each team gets to bat for a single over each and whoever scores more runs wins. If that is tied as well, they will keep playing Super Overs until a winner is decided.
When does a cricket match end?
There are three ways a match can end:
- Target achieved: The team batting second overtakes the number of runs made by the team batting first. Eg I got 257 in my 50 overs, and you reached 258.
- All out: The team batting second loses all ten of their wickets before they reach the target set by the team batting first. Eg I got 257, and you got 157 but lost all ten of your wickets.
- All overs bowled: The team batting second completes their 50 overs and whoever has finished with the most runs wins.
And if we’re being super accurate, there is a fourth: rain.
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