Forms of cricket

Cricket is a multi-faceted sport with multiple formats, depending on the standard of play, the desired level of formality, and the time available. An important division in terms of major cricket and some minor competitions is between matches limited by time in which the teams have two innings apiece, and those limited by number of overs, in which they have a single innings each. The former has a duration of three to five days (there have been examples of "timeless" matches too); the latter, known as limited overs cricket because each team bowls a limit of typically 50 overs, has a planned duration of one day only. A separate form of limited overs is Twenty20, originally designed so that the whole game could be played in a single evening, in which each team has an innings limited to twenty overs each.

Double innings matches usually have at least six hours of playing time each day. Limited overs matches often last at least six hours; and Twenty20 matches are generally completed in under four hours. In a full day's play scheduled for at least six hours, there are formal intervals on each day for lunch and tea with brief informal breaks for drinks. There is also a short interval between innings.