Draw, tie and no result

A draw, a tie and a no result are three different outcomes, and only one of them means the scores were level.

A draw happens only in first-class and Test cricket. It means the match ran out of time before the side batting last was bowled out or reached its target. The scores can be miles apart; the draw is about time, not runs. Batting out for a draw, sometimes for a whole final day, is a genuine skill.

A tie means both sides finished with exactly the same score. In Tests it is a completed result, and there have only been two in history. In limited-overs cricket, a tie is usually settled by a super over, though some leagues share the points.

A no result is a limited-overs match that could not be completed, usually because of rain, and where the DLS method could not produce a result either. On the points table, a no result typically gives each side one point.

In Masterstroke: Tests can be drawn, and a draw that keeps the World Test Championship alive is a draw worth playing for.