How to Bet on Cricket
Cricket is well known for having a variety of different formats, forcing betters to apply different types of betting logic dependant on the style of game being played.
Betting on a high-flying Indian Premier League fixture requires a vastly different approach than betting on the third day of a test match. Since the introduction of live betting, cricket betting has found a new spark, affording a large number of punters substantial profits.
How to Bet
Most cricket betting is done through a traditional bookmaker, but you’ll always find odds on the betting exchanges for the more high-profile cricket fixtures; although volume can sometimes leave a bit to be desired.
The different betting options vary from bookmaker to bookmaker with some offering up very different slates of live betting odds. Certain sites, such as Blue Square, allow you to wager ball-by-ball and over-by-over while other sites restrict you to simply partnership or method of dismissal wagering.
If you’re a big fan of betting on cricket it’s worth examining your bookies selection of markets before making a deposit.
What to Look For
Cricket teams select different squads of players from match to match, making it very important to know exactly who is lining up for each side. Another major consideration is to keep track of whether this is a one-off match or part of a series of fixtures.
If a side is down two matches to one, in a five fixture series, then you know the team facing defeat might show up to the pitch with more fire than their competition.
Knowing whether your team is settled or not is quite important and betting on a well-balanced team with previous results, under similar circumstances, is also key.
Pay attention to the weather patterns in longer matches to determine whether Duckworth-Lewis* may come into the equation.
*The Duckworth-Lewis Method (D/L Method) from Wikipedia: a mathematical way to calculate the target score for the team batting second in a one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket match interrupted by weather or other circumstance.
In test cricket, you’re going to be doing more in-play wagers, and betting on partnerships is generally the best way to keep the gravy train moving. If partnerships aren’t to your liking, total points and session betting are other great test cricket markets.
One Day Cricket skews towards live betting as well but you will generally find an extensive selection of pre-match wagers here as well. Top bowler betting and top batsmen betting are some of the most popular markets aside from outright result.
Twenty20 cricket is a fast and furious type of cricket which can produce some wild swings. T20 matches can sometimes go down to the very last ball and ensuring that you have a bookie that offers odds up to the very end of the match can be a huge advantage.
Look for top batsmen, most sixes and total number of sixes as your popular markets here.
When you have all of the information you need to make an informed betting decision, it’s time to look at the various bets offered.
Types of Bets
The selection of markets available varies from bookmaker to bookmaker, but these are the ones you’ll find pretty much across-the-board.
Outright Winner:The most basic cricket bet where you place your money on who’s going to win the match.
Top Batsmen:Most bookmakers take wagers on who’s going to score the most runs, and occasionally you can divide this by team, allowing you to wager on top English batsmen or top Australian batsmen; as well as top overall batsmen.
Top Bowler:Set up similarly to the top batsmen wager, you are effectively betting on the bowler who takes the most wickets.
Method of Dismissal:This is a popular in-play wager where you bet on how the next batsmen will lose his wicket; with the shortest price generally being on a catch. A leg before wicket (LBW) or bowled are usually delivering quality payouts around 4/1.
Partnership Betting:This is in-play wager lets you bet on the existing partnership to go over/under a points total before losing a wicket. This is particularly popular in test cricket.
Most Sixes:This is a first-rate bet for twenty20 cricket where you bet on which side is going to knock the most balls out of the ground.
Whether you lock in your bets pre-match, or bet by-the-ball in-game, cricket betting is all about having a better feel for the game than the person setting the bets. The more time you spending watching and learning about the game, the more accurate you can become in placing your bets.
If you’re looking for the latest odds and upcoming cricket matches, head to our cricket betting page.