A lovely friend wrote that he was going to a test cricket.
I found this a little puzzling, and a lot laughable: why on earth would anyone a.) build a model of a cricket;
b.)invite people to come see how it works, or
c.)go see whether a robot cricket works as it should or not?

Ok, ok, I have since found out (from another lovely friend--the first was too insulted by my questions to answer!)--that this expression refers to some kind of final or semi-final championship playoff round of games. But why is it referred to in that odd-sounding way? Why isn't it just called The Cricket Championship, or even The Cricket Test
(though that sounds pretty odd, too)? Why is the noun put in front as though it were a modifier?