Cricket EXPERTS Predictions and Daily Free Betting Tips

Factors to consider before betting on a cricket match

Just like most sports, cricket betting tips also require mathematical probability and knowledge of the game before placing bets and analyzing odds. The sport is unique in itself because it offers a diverse range of formats to make an educated bet. The game has been spreading its wings apart from traditional power houses like England, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh to countries like Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands, Namibia, Oman, Nepal, Japan, Germany and even the United States of America. In India, the IPL is the most followed sports event.

Cricket has become more technical than ever. The outcome of a game of cricket depends on several factors like weather, pitch report, team combination, strengths and weaknesses of players, spin and pace combination, past records and current form of teams and players.

Weather and Pitch

Much like most major outdoor sports, weather takes a paramount position in determining the outcome of a game of cricket. Clear Blue skies are the perfect conditions from the perspective of the batsmen. A sunny day helps the batting team register a big score on the board by taking out all the moisture from the pitch. The lack of moisture on the pitch does not allow the ball to swing much in the air.

A bright sunny day also makes the pitch harder and takes the greener patches away from the pitch, thus making it a perfect condition for the batsmen to get bat on the ball fairly easily. However, there is one major catch to a bright sunny day. Harder pitches and sunnier days make it easy for the bowlers to spin the ball as well. A spinning delivery needs as much dry ground as possible to take a wicked turn.

Hence, flat pitches on a bright sunny day are a more than likely situation in subcontinent pitches in India and Pakistan where opening batsmen and spinners thrive. On the contrary, a place like England, where the English Summer is mostly about overcast conditions, the pace bowlers have the perfect conditions to get movement in the air for their deliveries.

Wet pitches have minimal bounce on quick deliveries, thus making it even tougher for a side which bats first to get a decent total on the board. Other than the pitch, it is also to be noted that wet midfield assists the fielding side. A field which was drenched recently, makes the outfield much slower, meaning that the boundaries will be hard to come by for the batting side.

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Team Combination

The teams which are playing a game of cricket are very important factors to take into account while placing bets. Two strong teams against each other will provide better returns than a game where the two teams are at the opposite ends of overall strengths. For example, a game between India and England can go either way since both the teams are one of the strongest international sides, and thus the bookmakers will not be able to provide clear odds of a possible outcome. However, a game between teams like Scotland and Australia will not provide returns especially since it is majorly known that Australia will win against Scotland unless there is a major upset.

Cricket Predictions: the importance of Team and Player Form and more factors

Just like any other sport, team and player form have to be taken into account in order to predict outcomes in a game. In case of knockout matches, it is highly likely that a team stronger on paper will prevail, however in case of a tour or league match, a team which starts on a losing note, finds it extremely difficult to make a comeback into the same. In case of teams visiting to play in other countries, it is highly unlikely that the away side will emerge as victors after losing the first game. The home side, in most cases, will be accustomed to the pitch and weather conditions of their home venue, while the visitors will have to adapt to the same.

In the case of players, the form factor is diverse. Home and away form largely differ from player to player. For example, MS Dhoni of India has been a very successful batsman in home conditions but mostly struggled to get going in English, Caribbean and Australian conditions.

The same goes for bowlers, the wet and swinging pitches always allow pacers of any continent to have exemplary performances while spinners have their way in Caribbean and Indian pitches where there are expansive humid and sunny conditions.

Ravichandran Ashwin of India has been excellent in home conditions with his turning balls but has mostly struggled to be at his best under overcast conditions like England. James Anderson is one bowler, against whom most subcontinental batters will not fancy playing loose shots in overcast English conditions but at the same time, the veteran pacer is not a genuine threat in dry pitches in the subcontinent.

The Toss

The toss sets the tone for a result in a cricket game. A toss is made to choose the teams which will bat or bowl first in a game. Captains make a conscious choice while winning the toss and it is possible that the team which has won the toss, will indeed go on to win the game on most occasions, since they have got what they wanted right at the start of the game. For example, it may be that a wicket will provide plenty of runs early on and help the spinners in the final days. However, a toss never decides a game but is only a precedent of likely results.

In-play conditions

Cricket is a highly reactive market. The game can shift any time and in-play conditions are important before making predictions and placing bets. A side might suddenly collapse in the middle due to quick loss of wickets after a solid opening start, thus changing the outlay of the game completely.

The Ball

The role of a ball is important in cricket. Not all formats of the game are played with the same ball. Even, balls change across continents. Different balls have different characteristics. A red ball swings much higher in day conditions while a pink ball is likely to turn more at night. White balls are spin friendly and do not really change their direction in the air.

It is also important to take into account the role of dew. One might have noticed that the fielding side constantly tries to rub the ball against their body to shine the ball or even apply saliva. The same is done to keep the ball shiny and dry in overcast conditions, so that a desired delivery is made.

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Format of the Game

The case of multiple formats in cricket makes it a highly diverse market for bookies to provide odds and place bets. There are largely three forms of cricket: Test, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 International (T20Is)

Tests are considered the truest format of the game. Test matches are played in white kits with red/pink balls over the course of five days. Each side gets two innings to bat and the team with the larger total after four innings of play wins. Test formats allow a tie as a result as well. If teams fail to complete their quota of two innings each in five days, the result is a tie.

Test matches are highly unpredictable. Since it goes for five straight days, factors like weather, pitch and ground conditions play a highly significant role in comparison to the other two formats in ODIs and T20Is. Test matches are all about patience and tactics. The team which bats first on day one of proceedings essentially sets the tone for the remaining four days.

The batting side has to be extremely patient and not lose wickets in a short period of time. A day’s play usually lasts for over seven hours, hence allowing the conditions to set in and impact the result of the game. Batters have to read the pitch, weather and ground conditions and play strokes accordingly. Additionally, the role of the bowlers also changes in test matches. It is highly likely that pace attack will yield higher results on day one rather than on Day two, since the pitch eventually turns harder as the game progresses.

In case of ODIs, pitch, weather and ground conditions take time to have their toll on the players. As the format is short and does not allow room for mistakes, the betting odds are much more accurate in limited overs cricket. Spin bowlers take a larger role in ODIs as the late night conditions usually offer a great turning track for spinners.

T20 Internationals are the newest format of the game. The format is little more than a decade old and is deemed the future of the sport. Unlike Tests and ODIs, T20 cricket is heavily dependent on the hard hitting capabilities of the batting side. Since, an average T20 game lasts around four hours, there is no time really for weather, pitch and ground conditions to play a deciding factor.

Teams are mostly looking at posting quick runs on the board and boundaries make the chunk of a player’s game winning ability. The T20 game is highly detrimental to the technicalities of the bowling side as hard hitting takes precedence over highly technical cricketing shots. Spin attacks mostly get the better of their pace counterparts since most T20 matches are played at night.

Cricket Betting Tips: What to bet on?

Cricket has lots of aspects to place bets on. The most common bets are made simply on the results of the game, while other results like highest scorer, highest wicket taker, opening partnerships, man of the match and boundaries are other aspects where bets can be made. Head over to Shangri La and Bet365 to place bets on cricket as the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 is underway in India!

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