cricket testn.
/ˈkrɪkɪt tɛst/, U.S. /ˈkrɪkᵻt ˌtɛst/ 1. An international test match played at cricket (see test n.1 2c).Used occasionally to distinguish cricket test matches from those played in other sports.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > ball game > cricket > [noun] > cricket-match > types of match
county match1748
test match1857
bowler's (or bowlers') match1863
goose match1885
cricket test1907
test1908
runathon1932
one-dayer1985
1907 Observer 14 Apr. 10/1 The cricket tests between the colonies and the Mother Country were rescued from the mire of the speculator by the M.C.C.
1977 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 22 July 18/5 Rick McCosker..boosted his chances of retaining his place for the third cricket Test against England next week with a fighting 77 against Warwickshire yesterday.
1999 E. Afr. Standard (Nairobi) 5 Jan. 25/1 Michael Slater survived a close call from the video umpire on Monday to help push Australia towards a strong position on the fourth day of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test against England.
2008 S. Ahern Harbour Terror xx. 149 The talkback topic of the day was of course who would win the Ashes cricket test.
2. A notional test of the extent to which an immigrant (or descendant of immigrants) has integrated into English society, based on whether he or she supports the England cricket team when it plays the team representing the relevant foreign country. Hence used similarly with reference to countries other than England, or sports other than cricket.Originally used by British Conservative politician Norman Tebbit with reference to people of Asian origin or descent living in Britain (see quot. 19901).
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1990 Los Angeles Times 19 Apr. 10 Tebbit complained that ‘a large proportion’ of Britain's Asian population failed to pass what he called the ‘cricket test’. ‘Which side do they cheer for?’ he said. ‘It's an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from, or where you are?’
1990 Independent (Nexis) 30 Dec. 17 Soon the philistine, bone-headed carping began: who was this chap [sc. Salman Rushdie], why were the books so hard, were we perfectly sure he would pass the cricket test?
1995 H. Devonish in H. McD. Beckles & B. Stoddart Liberation Cricket xi. 189 (heading) On the pitfalls of nationalism: the cricket test. The arrogance of African West Indians in trying to dictate to their Indian compatriots who they should support in a cricket match, clearly shows up the pitfalls of nationalism.
2007 J. Loughlin in D. M. Smith & E. Wistrich Regional Identity & Diversity in Europe iii. 57 A variation of Norman Tebbit's ‘cricket test’ was which team they [sc. English residents of Wales] would support if England were playing Wales in any sport.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1907