100 Best Australian Cricket Trivia Questions and Answers

Reckon you know your cricket? From the very first Test match to Shane Warne’s most famous delivery, this collection of Australian cricket trivia questions and answers covers the basics right through to the genuinely tricky stuff. Good for a car trip, a rain delay, or settling an argument at the next family barbecue. Work through each section, then check your answers at the bottom.

Jump to a section: The Basics · Ashes History · Australian Legends · Records & Milestones · World Cups & Big Bash · Fun Facts & Quirky Moments · Women’s Cricket · State & Domestic Cricket · Famous Matches & Moments

The Basics (Q1–10)

1. Where was the first-ever Test cricket match played?
2. Which two countries played in that first Test match?
3. In what year was the first Test match played?
4. How many players are on a cricket team on the field at one time?
5. What’s the term for a bowler taking three wickets with three consecutive balls?
6. What is the name of the trophy contested between Australia and England?
7. How many runs is a “century” in cricket?
8. What does LBW stand for?
9. What’s the maximum number of overs in a One Day International innings?
10. What colour ball is used in Test cricket, as opposed to limited-overs cricket?

Ashes History (Q11–20)

11. In what year did the Ashes tradition begin, after England’s shock loss to Australia?
12. What object is the actual Ashes trophy said to contain the ashes of?
13. Where is the original Ashes urn kept?
14. What was the “Bodyline” series, held in 1932–33?
15. Which English bowler was central to the Bodyline tactics?
16. How many Ashes Tests are typically played in a series?
17. Which Australian captain was involved in the controversial “underarm bowling” incident, though that occurred in an ODI, not the Ashes?
18. In which country was the underarm bowling incident against New Zealand played?
19. Who bowled the underarm delivery in that 1981 incident?
20. What nickname is given to the away team successfully defending the Ashes on the other side’s soil?

Australian Legends (Q21–35)

21. Who is widely regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket history, with a Test batting average of 99.94?
22. How close was Don Bradman to a Test average of 100 when he was famously dismissed for a duck in his final innings?
23. What is Shane Warne’s delivery to Mike Gatting in the 1993 Ashes commonly known as?
24. Which fast bowler famously walked out to bat with an aluminium bat at the WACA in 1979?
25. Who captained Australia in a record 93 Test matches between 1984 and 1994?
26. Which Australian wicketkeeper-batsman is known for hitting 100 sixes in Test cricket?
27. Which Australian fast bowler took 708 Test wickets, a national record for a very long time?
28. Which Australian batsman scored 380 runs in a single Test innings against Zimbabwe in 2003?
29. Who captained Australia to victory in the 1987 Cricket World Cup?
30. Which Australian all-rounder is known for both his bowling and later commentary career, and captained Australia in the 1999 World Cup win?
31. What position does a wicketkeeper typically field in?
32. Which Australian cricketer is known by the nickname “The Don”?
33. What is the term for a batsman who is out without scoring any runs?
34. Which Australian spin bowler is regarded as one of the greatest of all time, taking over 700 Test wickets?
35. What does “not out” mean at the end of a batsman’s innings?

Records & Milestones (Q36–45)

36. What is the highest individual score ever recorded in a Test match innings?
37. Who holds that record for the highest individual Test score?
38. Which bowler holds the record for most wickets in Test cricket history?
39. Which country has won the most Cricket World Cups?
40. How many Cricket World Cups has Australia won as of 2023?
41. What is a “hat-trick” in cricket?
42. What’s the term for scoring 50 runs in an innings?
43. What is the term for a bowler conceding no runs at all in an over?
44. What’s the traditional length of a cricket pitch, in metres?
45. What term describes a match ending with no result due to time running out, common in Test cricket?

World Cups & Big Bash (Q46–55)

46. In what decade did Twenty20 cricket first emerge as a format?
47. What is the name of Australia’s domestic T20 competition, launched in 2011?
48. How many balls make up a standard T20 innings (20 overs x 6 balls)?
49. Which Australian city hosts the Boxing Day Test each year?
50. Which Australian city traditionally hosts the New Year’s Test?
51. What is the approximate seating capacity of the Melbourne Cricket Ground, one of the largest stadiums in the world?
52. In which year did Australia host and win the Cricket World Cup on home soil (alongside co-hosts)?
53. What do fans call the annual cricket rivalry match between Australia and New Zealand for ODIs?
54. Which Australian format introduced coloured clothing and day-night matches to the sport in the late 1970s?
55. What is the term for the format of cricket lasting a maximum of five days?

Fun Facts & Quirky Moments (Q56–65)

56. What is the traditional tea break in a Test match primarily for?
57. Which fielding position is considered the most dangerous, standing close to the batsman?
58. What’s the nickname for the Melbourne Cricket Ground?
59. What is a “duck” followed immediately by another dismissal for zero called?
60. Why do cricket players sometimes shine the ball on their trousers?
61. What is the term for when a bowler bowls a ball outside the batsman’s reach, resulting in an extra run?
62. What’s the term for a fielder catching the ball after it has bounced once — is this out?
63. Which piece of protective equipment is a wicketkeeper required to wear that other fielders don’t need?
64. What’s the informal term for a very slow, defensive batting innings?
65. In backyard cricket, what’s the informal rule often used instead of a full LBW decision?

Women’s Cricket (Q66–75)

66. What is the trophy for the women’s equivalent of the Ashes called?
67. What formats are typically combined to decide the overall winner of a Women’s Ashes series?
68. What is Australia’s domestic Twenty20 competition for women called?
69. In what year was that competition launched?
70. How many ODI Women’s Cricket World Cups had Australia won by 2022?
71. What term describes a player who both bats and bowls effectively at international level?
72. True or false: pitch and equipment dimensions are the same for men’s and women’s international cricket.
73. What fielding position stands close to the batter on the off side to catch fine edges, used in both men’s and women’s cricket?
74. In what year was the pink ball first used in a day-night Test match?
75. What’s the term for a bowler who delivers the ball at a noticeably slower pace, relying on trickery rather than speed?

State & Domestic Cricket (Q76–85)

76. What is the name of Australia’s domestic first-class cricket competition?
77. In what cricket season was the Sheffield Shield first contested?
78. Which state has won the most Sheffield Shield titles?
79. How many teams currently compete in the Sheffield Shield?
80. Which state cricket team is nicknamed the “Bushrangers”?
81. Which state cricket team is nicknamed the “Blues”?
82. Which state cricket team is nicknamed the “Warriors”?
83. Which state cricket team is nicknamed the “Bulls”?
84. Which state cricket team is nicknamed the “Redbacks”?
85. What is the name of Australia’s domestic one-day cup competition?

Famous Matches & Moments (Q86–95)

86. Which two countries played in cricket’s first-ever Tied Test?
87. In what year was that famous Tied Test played?
88. In which Australian city was the Tied Test played?
89. What’s the informal cricket term for a five-wicket haul, using rhyming slang based on a Hollywood actress’s name?
90. What is the famous 1981 Ashes Test at Headingley, where England won after following on, commonly known as?
91. Which English all-rounder was the standout player in that famous 1981 comeback?
92. What’s the term for a team being forced to bat again immediately after falling significantly behind on first innings?
93. In which Australian city was the very first Test match played in 1877?
94. Which ground hosted that first-ever Test match?
95. Which Australian batsman scored 334 runs against England at Headingley in 1930, a world record Test score at the time?

Quick-Fire Extras (Q96–100)

96. What’s the cricket term for the imaginary line just outside off stump that disciplined fast bowlers aim to bowl on?
97. What’s the informal term for a fast bowler?
98. What colour are traditional Test cricket uniforms?
99. What’s the small gap between bat and pad called, which bowlers try to exploit?
100. Besides a win or a loss, what are the two other possible results in a Test match, one being extremely rare?

Answers

1. Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
2. Australia and England
3. 1877
4. 11
5. A hat-trick
6. The Ashes
7. 100 runs
8. Leg Before Wicket
9. 50 overs
10. Red (white balls are used in limited-overs cricket, especially day-night matches)
11. 1882, after Australia’s first Test win on English soil
12. The ashes of a burnt cricket bail (symbolically, following England’s “death of English cricket” newspaper obituary)
13. The MCC Museum at Lord’s Cricket Ground, London
14. A controversial English bowling tactic aimed directly at the batsman’s body to limit scoring
15. Harold Larwood
16. Five
17. Greg Chappell
18. Australia (Melbourne Cricket Ground)
19. Trevor Chappell
20. Retaining or “regaining” the Ashes
21. Sir Donald Bradman
22. He needed just 4 runs in his final innings to finish with an average of exactly 100, but was dismissed for a duck, finishing at 99.94
23. The “Ball of the Century”
24. Dennis Lillee
25. Allan Border
26. Adam Gilchrist
27. Glenn McGrath
28. Matthew Hayden
29. Allan Border
30. Steve Waugh
31. Directly behind the batsman, behind the stumps
32. Sir Donald Bradman
33. A “duck”
34. Shane Warne
35. The batsman was still batting when the innings or match ended, and wasn’t dismissed
36. 400 not out
37. Brian Lara (West Indies)
38. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka), with 800 Test wickets
39. Australia
40. Five (1987, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2015)
41. Taking three wickets on three consecutive deliveries
42. A “half-century”
43. A “maiden over”
44. 20.12 metres (22 yards)
45. A “draw”
46. The 2000s (first official T20 international played in 2005)
47. The Big Bash League (BBL)
48. 120 balls
49. Melbourne
50. Sydney
51. Around 100,000
52. 2015 (Australia and New Zealand co-hosted; Australia won)
53. The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy
54. World Series Cricket, pioneered by Kerry Packer
55. Test cricket
56. A scheduled break for players to rest and eat, part of the traditional structure of a day’s play
57. Silly point or short leg, very close to the bat
58. “The G”
59. A “golden duck” (out first ball) or “pair” (a duck in both innings of a match)
60. To polish one side of the ball, helping it swing through the air
61. A “wide”
62. No — a catch must be taken before the ball bounces to count as out
63. Gloves and leg pads
64. A “blocking” or “stonewalling” innings
65. “One hand, one bounce” — if a fielder catches the ball on one bounce with one hand, it’s given out
66. The Women’s Ashes
67. Test, ODI, and T20I matches combined into one multi-format points series
68. The Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL)
69. 2015
70. Seven
71. All-rounder
72. True
73. Slip
74. 2015
75. A spin bowler
76. The Sheffield Shield
77. 1892–93
78. New South Wales
79. Six (NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania)
80. Victoria
81. New South Wales
82. Western Australia
83. Queensland
84. South Australia
85. The Marsh One-Day Cup
86. Australia and the West Indies
87. 1960
88. Brisbane
89. A “Michelle” (rhyming slang for Michelle Pfeiffer — “five-for”)
90. “Botham’s Ashes”
91. Ian Botham
92. The follow-on
93. Melbourne
94. The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
95. Sir Donald Bradman
96. The “corridor of uncertainty”
97. A “quick” or “paceman”
98. White
99. The “gate”
100. A draw, or — extremely rarely — a tie

Looking for more trivia? Try our Australian Sports Trivia Questions and Answers or our Australian History Trivia.