How do you bet on cricket?
Cricket is a game that is played in many countries. The number of games that bets can be placed on has grown in recent years. This is due to the arrival of the T20 format of the game. 2021 sees the launch of another new format entitled ‘The Hundred.’ How do you bet on cricket though? This article will look at
- The different formats of the game
- Available betting markets
- How to pick winners
The different formats of the game
The sport of cricket has undergone many changes in the last half century or so. For many decades, there was just domestic games played between county or state teams and Test Matches between countries such as England, Australia, India, Pakistan, South Africa, and the West Indies. These games were played over several days with both sides having two innings and with the test matches being played over a five-day period. These types of games are still played and there are plenty of betting opportunities available.
It was in the mid 1960s that the game began to change. The Gillette Cup was introduced in England. This saw the arrival of one-day cricket. Both sides now had just one innings over a set number of overs (initially 60). As the years have progressed, more one-day competitions have been introduced, with international matches beginning in the 1970s and the first ever World Cup held in 1975.
It's in the past decade that the number of games has massively increased. The introduction of T20 with both sides having just a maximum 20 overs each has revolutionised the game and shocked traditionalists. Tournaments such as the Indian Premier League, Vitality Blast, The Big Bash, T20 World Cup and T20 Internationals have become incredibly popular and all are great to bet on. Therefore, when going to an online sportsbook, take a good look at the cricket section, there’s plenty to bet on whatever the time of year.
Available Betting Markets
Just as in other sports, the number of available betting markets has increased greatly in recent years. It’s no longer a question of betting on who is going to win or top batsman and top wicket taker. There are now a great number of betting markets available as we will now explain.
For each of the two innings, you can bet on everything from how many runs they will score in total to how each batsman will get on. You can bet on whether one selected batsman will score more runs than one of his team mates. It’s even possible to bet on what will happen with the first ball of the match – will a four be hit, no runs at all or a wicket for example. A bet is possible on the number of sixes that will be hit, which team will have the highest opening partnership or a combination of bets.
For example, you could bet on a team to win the match, have the highest scoring batsman and score the most runs and hit the most fours. With in-play betting, the odds are constantly changing depending on what is happening in the match.
How to pick winners
There are many areas that you need to examine when betting on cricket. Form is important, if a team has been winning plenty of matches, then that’s a good indication of them perhaps winning their next fixture. Look to see who they have been beating though. If those wins have come against struggling sides, now up against a top team that form doesn’t look so good.
The pitch is an important consideration too. If it is helping fast bowlers and a team has some great bowlers of that type, then their chances of winning are good. The pitch might favour the spinners, so a team strong in that department has a great chance of success.
If it’s a match that is being played over four or five days, it may be that the pitch favours the batsmen so a draw may well be the result. Also, in longer games, the weather has to be taken into consideration. If rain is forecast, then a draw is more likely.
In one-day cricket, betting can sometimes be a lottery. One good innings can win a match for a team. Again, look at the form books to see which batsmen and bowlers are in form.
Cricket is a great sport to bet on. Nothing beats a close finish in this game and there are lots of betting opportunities too, so enjoy placing wagers on cricket.
