How to bet on cricket

By Phil Lowe

07 Jul 2021

Phil Lowe 07 Jul 2021

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Learn about betting on cricket!
Read on for our cricket betting guide

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How to bet on cricket

While it may not have the biggest presence internationally, the nations in the world that play cricket absolutely adore the sport and it is now widely acknowledged as one of the most popular sports in the world.

To those not from a cricketing nation though, the sport, with all of its different matches types and competitions, can appear fairly complex and difficult to follow, so we here at bonus bets have compiled the following guide to help you get to grips with the basics of betting on cricket.

Cricket schedule

Cricket is one of the most popular sports on the entire planet and its presence throughout the calendar year makes it one a favourite with bookmakers and punters alike.

The cricket schedule, both international and domestically can be quite baffling to wrap your head around, especially given the different variations on the game itself, so it is best to just note when the biggest seasons in the world of cricket take place.

The English cricket season’s biggest prize is the County Championships, which last from early April until mid-September. The Australian cricket season runs from October to March, meaning that those seasons alone cover the entire calendar year. The IPL, a T20 division in cricket runs from March through to May.

As for international cricket, the biggest prize in the sport, the Cricket world cup, is held every four years and is hosted by a different country each time.

There are also several other big international competitions or series, with The Ashes, a five test series that takes place Australia and England every two years, being one of the most popular and most watched in the world.

Types of bets

Match result

The most common type of sporting bet placed, the match outcome is also the most popular type of bet to place in Cricket.

This market will differ slightly depending on what type of cricket you are betting on. Any type of match with a set number of bowls will only have a victory for either of the teams as an option, while a test will also have the option of a draw.

Top run-scorer/wicket-taker

For those unacquainted with cricket, the best way to think of this is that it is like the equivalent of top goal or points scorer.

The top run-scorer is the person who scores the highest number of runs during their play, while the top wicket-taker is the bowler who takes the most amount of wickets from the opposition.

Man of the match

Like almost every other sport, cricket also chooses to recognise the best player in a certain game with a man of the match award. These bets can be fairly effective before the game and for those with a keen eye, they can also benefit from placing these bets in-play.

Under/over

Under/over style bets have become increasingly popular in all sports in recent years, and cricket is no different.

In cricket, an under/over bet is when you bet on whether a team will score under or over a designated amount of runs.

These bets can be particularly fruitful if you expect a team to have a noticably strong or weak performance and score accordingly.

Odd/even runs

Another runs total related bet is the odd/even market, where you can bet on whether or not you think the number of runs that will be scored by a team will end being odd or even.

This type of bet is certainly a bit more fun than some of the others and doesn’t require as much of an in-depth analysis or knowledge of the sport.

Special bets

Due to the constantly increasing popularity of cricket, most major bookmakers will regularly offer bonus bets on the sport, especially during some of the bigger matches.

A lot of bookmakers will offer enhanced odds and money back as free bets on cricket, and some bookmaker will also have a wide range of special offers surrounding individual players and their performances.

Where to bet

Cricket is one of the most popular sports on the planet and as such, all of the major bookmakers are often competing against one another to try and get the best odds out to their customers.

Ladbrokes and Betway both tend to stand out, with the latter offering some of the most in-depth cricketing markets available, and the former often offering brilliant streaming services, especially of some T20 cricket.

If you are unsure as to which bookmakers you should use, please check out our bookie reviews at the top of the page.

Cricket betting strategy

Few sports have as many potentially result influencing factors as cricket, and if you are going to part ways with your cash, then you should probably become accustomed to them fairly quickly.

Of all the factors, the one that is arguably the most influential is the weather. Checking local weather forecasts can be pivotal when it comes to betting on cricket. Wet weather conditions, for example, can have a serious influence on the amount of cricket that is able to be played, which could have a huge influence on a result, especially during a test match.

The hours of sunlight in a day will also have an influence on games, and how long they get to play for.

The next big thing you will want to keep an eye on is the toss. The toss is to determine which side bats or bowls first, and that can have also have a massive influence on a match, especially when combined with the pitch and weather conditions.

But even getting to grips with all of these will still be a waste of time if you don’t wise up on player form and team’s previous records when playing in all of the aforementioned conditions.

In short, betting on cricket can be extremely difficult and time-consuming, but it can also be incredibly profitable once you have understood everything.

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