Test cricket is the oldest format of the game that came into existence as a sport. The first ever test match took place between March 15 and March 19, 1877, between England and Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is the longest format of the game. The reason it is called “Test” is because of its draining nature, both physically and mentally. 11 players from two teams play for five consecutive days (90 overs a day), a total of four innings.
A total of 12 teams have been given Test status by the International Cricket Council (ICC) till date. Australia and England were the first teams to start this game. The latest member of this elite group is Afghanistan, which got the test status on June 14th, 2018. It is interesting that nine of the twelve teams represent only one nation. However, the England cricket team is made up of the representative countries of England and Wales. The West Indies is made up of fifteen Caribbean nations and territories. Ireland is made up of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Test Cricket Playing Countries
A total of 12 teams play in this format. However, only the top eight teams compete in regular season home and away games. Australia has always dominated in this format over the years. They are the most successful team in red-ball cricket. So below is the list of the teams with test status, and test debut is mentioned.
| S.No. | Team | Test Status |
| 1 | Australia | 15 March 1877 |
| 2 | England | 15 March 1877 |
| 3 | South Africa | 12 March 1889 |
| 4 | West Indies | 23 June 1928 |
| 5 | New Zealand | 10 January 1930 |
| 6 | India | 25 June 1932 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 16 October 1952 |
| 8 | Sri Lanka | 17 February 1982 |
| 9 | Zimbabwe | 18 October 1992 |
| 10 | Bangladesh | 10 November 2000 |
| 11 | Ireland | 11 May 2018 |
| 12 | Afghanistan | 14 June 2018 |
Major Trophies and Series in Test Cricket
England and Australia were the first two teams that played the first ever match. Thus, these two teams are the biggest rivals in this format. They both often meet in the five-match series called the “Ashes”. On the other hand, the rivalry between India and Pakistan is certainly among the biggest in any kind of sport. But these two teams don’t play any kind of bilateral series against each other now.
However, in the past few years, there has been a totally new and exciting rivalry between the two competitive teams, India and Australia. These two teams are among the top teams in this format and always produce some exciting cricket in a red-ball game. They play for the “Border-Gavaskar Trophy”. So let’s check out the major series for the teams in this format.
| Trophy | Team 1 | Team 2 | First Played | Latest Played |
| The Ashes | England | Australia | 1882–83 | 2021–22 |
| Anthony de Mello Trophy | India | England | 1951–52 | 2020–21 |
| Frank Worrell Trophy | West Indies | Australia | 1960–61 | 2015–16 |
| Wisden Trophy | West Indies | England | 1963 | 2020 |
| Trans-Tasman Trophy | New Zealand | Australia | 1985–86 | 2019–20 |
| Border–Gavaskar Trophy | Australia | India | 1996–97 | 2020–21 |
| Southern Cross Trophy | Australia | Zimbabwe | 1999–2000 | 2003–04 |
| Sir Vivian Richards Trophy | West Indies | South Africa | 2000–01 | 2021 |
| Clive Lloyd Trophy | West Indies | Zimbabwe | 2001 | 2017–18 |
| Basil D’Oliveira Trophy | South Africa | England | 2004–05 | 2019–20 |
| Pataudi Trophy | India | England | 2007 | 2018 |
| Warne–Muralitharan Trophy | Sri Lanka | Australia | 2007–08 | 2022 |
| The Freedom Trophy | India | South Africa | 2015–16 | 2019–20 |
| Sobers–Tissera Trophy | West Indies | Sri Lanka | 2015–16 | 2021–22 |
| Benaud–Qadir Trophy | Pakistan | Australia | 2020–21 | 2021–22 |
| Richards–Botham Trophy | West Indies | England | 2020–21 | 2021–22 |
Team Records in Test History
Australia is the only team in the history of the game to win 400 test matches. The second best team is England, with 382 matches. Notably, these two teams have also played more matches compared to other teams. England has played over 1,000 red-ball games overall and is the only team to do so. However, after the introduction of the World Test Championship, every team focused more on this format.
That is why we have seen so many games ending with a result rather than a draw. The inaugural WTC winner is New Zealand, who beat the Indian team in the finals at Lord’s in 2021. So let’s check out the teams and their overall performance in this format.
| Team | First Match | Mts | Wins | Loss | Tie | Draws | % Won |
| Afghanistan | 14 June 2018 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 |
| Australia | 15 March 1877 | 844 | 400 | 227 | 2 | 215 | 47.39 |
| Bangladesh | 10 November 2000 | 134 | 16 | 100 | 0 | 18 | 11.94 |
| England | 15 March 1877 | 1053 | 382 | 317 | 0 | 354 | 36.27 |
| India | 25 June 1932 | 563 | 168 | 174 | 1 | 220 | 29.84 |
| Ireland | 11 May 2018 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| New Zealand | 10 January 1930 | 458 | 109 | 181 | 0 | 168 | 23.79 |
| Pakistan | 16 October 1952 | 446 | 146 | 136 | 0 | 164 | 36.80 |
| South Africa | 12 March 1889 | 453 | 175 | 154 | 0 | 124 | 38.63 |
| Sri Lanka | 17 February 1982 | 307 | 98 | 117 | 0 | 92 | 31.69 |
| West Indies | 23 June 1928 | 565 | 181 | 202 | 1 | 179 | 32.03 |
| Zimbabwe | 18 October 1992 | 115 | 13 | 74 | 0 | 28 | 11.03 |