Test and County Cricket Board

The Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB) was a governing body for first-class and minor-counties cricket in England, as well as for overseas tours. It was formed in 1969 as part of a reorganization of English cricket, with the goal of creating a unified governing body for the sport. The TCCB was one of the constituent parts of the Cricket Council, which also included the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). In 1997, the TCCB, NCA, and Cricket Council were all absorbed into the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).1

County cricket in England has a long history, with early matches taking place between amateur and professional players, as well as between universities like Oxford and Cambridge. The formalization of the county championship occurred in 1890, and various counties have dominated the sport throughout different eras. To boost public interest, one-day competitions and a Sunday league were introduced in the 1960s, which helped revive attendance. The game has also seen changes in format, with four-day games increasingly replacing three-day games to encourage player development.2