A cricket match record has separate fields for the teams, competition, innings and match status. These fields give meaning to the number shown beside each team. Cricket scorecards must be read with the format attached. Test matches can have two innings per side, ODIs normally allow 50 overs per innings and T20s normally allow 20. Rain or competition rules can alter the available play.
The winning margin has a unit
A side defending a completed total wins by runs when its opponent finishes short. If a hypothetical first side makes 160 and the reply ends at 150, the result is a win by ten runs. A successful chase is normally expressed in wickets: 161/6 chasing 161 represents four wickets remaining.
Two-innings cricket can produce an innings victory when one team’s single innings exceeds the other side’s combined completed innings. A draw means that the match finishes without a win or tie being achieved under its conditions; it is not another word for equal scores.
Separate the toss winner, match winner, series winner and player-of-the-match award. They answer different questions. When reading an archived result, match the date and competition before repeating the winner: the same opponents may meet several times within a week, and a highlights headline may refer to an older match.