ACS Overseas First-Class Annual 2010

League Tables: Key to abbreviations and point-scoring systems A feature of the inaugural edition of the Annual was a brief outline of the point-scoring systems in use in the various first-class league competitions throughout the world. It is believed that this was the first time that this kind of world-wide comparison had been attempted. This information is important because, although Test matches attract most attention, the great majority of first-class games throughout the world are league matches played in one of the domestic competitions in the various ICC full member nations. Games take place, therefore, in the context of a wider competition involving many teams other than the two that are directly engaged in any particular match. As the table opposite clearly shows, the various scoring systems have many features in common but there are also important differences. All systems award points first and foremost for outright wins: but a system that took account of wins alone would find it difficult to differentiate sufficiently between teams. Accordingly, all systems give weight to factors other than the outright win, and it is here that there is a basic division between two different approaches. One method, familiar from the English County Championship, is to award batting and bowling bonus points based on first-innings performance. The alternative, used for instance in the Sheffield Shield and the Ranji Trophy, takes account instead of the first-innings lead. There are, of course, many variations of detail, and some competitions use elements of both approaches. The table on the facing page sets out the various competitions and summarises the different types of result that are relevant to each, as shown in the league tables that appear in the introduction to each section of this Annual. It also acts as a key to the abbreviations used in the league tables. For comparison and for the sake of completeness, the English County Championship is included in the table although it does not otherwise feature in the Annual. The ICC Inter-Continental competitions are also included, although they are not strictly domestic tournaments. The number of points awarded for the different types of result varies from competition to competition, as indicated in the league tables. Point-scoring systems also invariably provide for unusual results such as ties, but these are not shown unless they are relevant to the current league table. In addition, most competitions separate teams level on points by a variety of mechanisms including number of outright wins, head-to-head results, and calculations based on run rates or runs per wicket. Net run rate (NetRR) Runs per over for minus runs per over against Net runs per wicket (NetRpW) Runs per wicket for minus runs per wicket against Quotient (Quot) Runs per wicket for divided by runs per wicket against 8