OK so I've said it before

[chickenfeet]

Middlesex bowled 104 overs today on the first day of a four day county championship game. Why then is it impossible ever to bowl just 90 overs in the allowed time on the first day of a test match? Answers to the ICC department of pathetic and implausible excuses.

Comments

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

It's still not pro rata, but the Championship schedules six and a half hours a day to the Test's six.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. Middx still got in more than the minimum overs though and test sides never bowl their 90 without the extra half hour and often not with it.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

But 104 is the minimum for the first three days of a Championship match. It goes down to 96 on the final day, which is only six hours. So basically county sides are expected to bowl 16 overs an hour, and Test sides 15.

[chickenfeet2003.livejournal.com]

So basically county sides are expected to bowl 16 overs an hour, and Test sides 15.

Is there any rationale for that?

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Can't remember when they were set, but I imagine it's to reflect the greater demands of Test cricket (since the players say it's a bigger jump from first-class to Tests than from club cricket to first-class). Also there's the extra palaver of Test cricket - bigger crowds, more people to move about distracting the batsman as the bowler's running in, more reason for the batsman to make a fuss about being distracted, longer standing ovations when there's a landmark...

County cricket tends to run over the scheduled hours too.