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Whether it be Twenty20, One Day Internationals or Test Cricket, there is always a way to bet on cricket and it is becoming more and more popular as a sport to place a wager on.
Test cricket was traditionally a game where people would use the Exchanges to back and lay the results, hoping to guarantee a profit similar to traders betting on stocks. Although this is still a popular way to bet on cricket, the shorter formats have seen an influx of new betting markets for people to explore. Of course, in any format of the game you can bet on who you think will win the match, series or tournament just like you would in sports such as football or rugby. However, you might not even be aware of many more ways to bet on cricket.
Betting on Cricket Pre-match
Before a match starts, you can bet on things like the top run scorer in the match, the top run scorer for each team and the top wicket-taker. Some bookies even let you bet on which side will win the toss! Player of the match is another popular market because there is a possibility that any of the 22 players can pick up this crown and part of the skill in making your selection would be to decide whether the pitch favours the bowlers or the batters.
Looking at the batting side of things, you can bet on how many runs you think a player will get, with the bookies offering a ‘line’ on what they think a par score would be. For example, they might put Joe Root’s ‘line’ at 55 runs, so you can bet on Root to score under 54.5 runs, or over 54.5 runs in an innings. Whether you’re betting on cricket or looking to play casino games online, there is always an option to look at no deposit free spins offers – this gets you a no-deposit bonus added to your new casino account and whatever you win, you could move over to your betting balance to bet on cricket.
There will also be a similar idea for betting on how many runs a team would get in their innings. For example, a par England score might be predicted to be 280 in a ODI, so you could bet on England to score over 280.5 runs, or under 280.5 runs.
Betting on Cricket In-play
Once the match starts, the bookies will switch to betting in-play. At the likes of bet365 and other major bookies, you can bet in real time ball by ball. e.g. will the next ball result in a boundary? Yes or no. Will there be a wicket in the next over? Yes or no. As with the pre-match betting, you could also bet on how many runs you think a team will get in the current innings and how many runs each player will get.
The method of the next dismissal is an interesting market, allowing you to bet on the method of the next wicket – caught, LBW, bowled, run out, stumped or other. On a pitch where the spinners are taking command, stumped would be a decent outsider bet.
Betting on One Day Matches
Whether it be domestic or international cricket, one day matches provide a good betting opportunity across various interesting markets. The match winner market is the most popular but here are a few other ODI bets you could place on an upcoming match.
- To win the toss
- Batter milestones
- Top team batter
- Top team bowler
- Player of the match
- 1st wicket method
- Player performance
- Bet builder on the match
For example, if England are playing Australia and England’s odds are 1/2 to win the match, a £20 bet returns £30 if England win. If Australia’s odds are 6/4, a £20 bet returns £50 if the Aussies win the match.
You will find bigger odds in markets such as Player of the Match, where Joe Root might be priced at 8/1, meaning a £10 bet would return £90.
What are the best cricket tournaments to bet on?
International cricket is where you will find the biggest range of betting markets but you can also find odds for all the following cricket competitions and tournaments across most major bookmakers:
- Cricket World Cup
- T20 World Cup
- The Ashes
- Big Bash League
- Indian Premier League
- County Championship
- Vitality Blast
- The Hundred
- Test World Championship
- Women’s World Cup
- Women’s T20 World Cup
The most exciting format to bet on is Twenty20 (T20) and with things like the Twenty20 World Cup and the Vitality Blast, the fast pace of the game means it is more like betting on football than any other format of the game. You know your bet will be settled one way or the other within the space of a few hours and even for those who are not cricket’s biggest fans, there is enjoyment to be had watching players smash balls for 6, especially when you’ve got an interest from a betting point of view.
There will also be more than one match on some days, meaning you could bet on an accumulator across the games where you try to predict the winner of the upcoming fixtures.
Betting on cricket in-play is a fast-paced way to bet on the sport, particularly in T20 matches because everything happens so quickly, so keep stakes small and always gamble responsibly.