If you have just started watching test cricket, you may not know this, but Test Cricket can easily stretch up to five long days, though it doesn’t happen that often. And sure enough, when players have to play for this long, there must be some breaks in between to make sure that they can keep their energy levels up and perform better. Sure, there are different types of breaks in test cricket, like lunch break, innings break, tea break, etc. But it is actually the lunch break that is the longest. And if you’re wondering how long lunch is in test cricket, just know that it is about 40 minutes long. Though, there is much more you should know about this particular break, and that is precisely why we’re here, so let’s just get to it.
So, Exactly How Long Is Lunch?
As we already told you, it is 40 40-minute long breaks in test cricket, and the longest one in the format as well. That’s pretty much it, nice and simple! Though, it is not necessary that players or teams can only use this break for just lunch and refueling, they can also rest or chill out a bit, and play for what they’ll be doing on the field once the match starts again.
What Does a Day Look Like in Test Cricket?
Most of the time, when everything goes right, the test cricket day lasts about 7.5 hours, or maybe a little less. In total, there are 90 overs are bowled in one day, and once that mark is hit, the game is paused for the next day. And the entire day in test cricket is divided into sessions, and there are three of them, like, morning, afternoon, and evening session.
After the very first session of the day, which is the morning session, there is the longest break of the day, which is the lunch break, and it lasts about 40 minutes straight. Then, after the afternoon session, there is a tea break, which is just 20 minutes long. With the evening session and the completion of 90 overs, the day ends. Plain and simple!
What About Day/Night Matches?
Well, yes, the Day/Night test cricket is a new thing, but that doesn’t mean that it is later in the day, so there will be no lunch break. Yes, there is such a 40-minute long break, but it is actually called the “dinner” break, and everything else is just the same.