Tied Match in Cricket: When Both Teams Finish on the Same Score

A tied match in cricket is one of the rarest results in sport: it occurs when both teams complete all their allotted innings and finish on exactly the same score. In limited-overs cricket (ODIs and T20Is), a tie occurs when the chasing team's innings ends — either through wickets or overs — with the scores level. In Test cricket, a tie occurs when the team batting last is all out with the scores level. A tie is fundamentally different from a draw: in a draw, the match ends without a result because time ran out; in a tie, the match is completed but the scores are equal.

Ties in Test Cricket

Only two Test matches in history have ended in a tie. The first was the Australia vs West Indies Test at Brisbane in 1960 — known as the Tied Test — one of the greatest matches in the sport's history. The final ball of the match, with Australia needing one run to win, resulted in a run out that tied the scores. The second tied Test occurred between Australia and India at Madras (Chennai) in 1986. In both cases, the extraordinary coincidence of identical final scores created moments of lasting significance. A Test tie requires the team batting last to be dismissed with the scores exactly level — an outcome dependent on every run and every wicket across five days of cricket.

Ties in Limited-Overs Cricket

Ties are more common in limited-overs cricket than in Tests, though still rare. In ODIs and T20Is, a tie occurs when the chasing team scores exactly the same total as the first team. A chasing team dismissed for 247 in a match where the target is 248 has lost by one run — not tied. If they score 247 and need 248 to win but have overs remaining and simply stop scoring, the result would be a tie if their 247 matches the first team's 247. Tournament format determines what happens next: group matches may be tied (shared points), while knockout matches use Super Overs or other tiebreakers.