A test match can (and often does) last for 5 days with about 6 hours of play each day. A one-dayer has each side bowl 50 overs (1 over = six balls) and lasts about 7 hours, including a break for lunch. A T20 game (pronounced twenty-twenty) gives each side 20 overs of batting and lasts about 3 hours including a 20 minute break.
A test match is one played between two countries which have both reached test match status in terms of that countries ability to play and foster cricket. So, Australia has test match status, but the US doesn't. Abraham Lincoln apparently played a couple of games of cricket and George Washington apparently watched at least a couple of games. One of the top swing bowlers (getting the ball to curve in the air) was a guy called Bart King, who was, believe it or not, an American. He's still much appreciated in the cricket world. The US was quite a force in world cricket way back when.
But getting back to duration, we used to have timeless tests, These were tests which had no time limit. A team would bat for as long as it could. And each team batted twice. The last timeless test was between South Africa and England in 1939. It lasted 12 days of which play was held on 9 of them. I'm not sure about the other tree days. It's possible that the weather made things difficult or maybe the players just needed a rest. But the game was eventually called off because the England team had to get on the boat to go back to England.
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