New Delhi: England and Zimbabwe are currently competing in a historic one-off Test match at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. The two teams are facing each other after a gap of 22 years, in England, as Zimbabwe last toured the country in 2003, and the hosts bagged the series 2-0. This is notably a “four-day” Test match instead of a usual five-day encounter in whites, making it a rare game of international red-ball cricket.
Ben Stokes-led England kicked off their 2025 season on Thursday with the only Test against the African nation, also marking the start of a long summer. This will be their last red-ball fixture before they host India for a five-match Test series beginning June 20. However, the ongoing one-off Test vs Zimbabwe is indeed rare as it is not part of the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Moreover, the game was announced to be a four-day affair in the first place, and despite having a day less, it will be counted as an official game of Test cricket. Now that the two teams have started the proceedings, some still scratch their heads over why a four-day game, when Test cricket is a five-day format. What is the intention behind holding a four-day Test, and does it change the set of rules as well?
Why is ENG vs ZIM a four-day Test?
Tracing the history of Test cricket, since the first game that was played in 1877, a lot of three, four, and even six-day matches used to be held. Only recently, a match between South Africa and Zimbabwe on Boxing Day in 2017 at Port Elizabeth marked the first instance of a four-day Test match in 44 years since New Zealand and Pakistan clashed in 1973.
The development came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) allowed more four-day Test matches to be played in order to encourage more teams to play the longest format. In 2019 and 2023, England hosted Ireland as well, for four-day Tests.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) May 22, 2025
Captains ready 🏴 🏆 🇿🇼#ENGvZIM #ExperienceZimbabwe pic.twitter.com/ReKvPJztlN
— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) May 22, 2025
The ongoing Test match between England and Zimbabwe will be played for four days instead of the traditional five. Why but? Have there been any four-day Tests before and what is the concept behind? Also does it bring any changes in the rule set? Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
