Cricket Betting Guide

Betting on cricket is incredibly exciting because of the many close, tense finishes the sport often produces. Whether in the one-day game or Test matches, games are often decided with the final ball and that excitement is magnified 10-fold when you have money riding on it.

Moreover, because cricket is so popular with almost two billion people – admittedly the majority of those reside in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh – betting on it is big business. That means that the bookmakers listed in the table below cover a huge range of matches, offer masses of different markets for each one and best of all have loads of free bets and betting offers for cricket fans.

Popular Cricket Betting Markets

Below are five of the most popular bets you can place on cricket. They are all easy to understand and well-suited to beginners and cricket betting experts alike.

  • Match Odds – This may have different names but is simply a bet on which side will win any given match. Note that there is a big difference between a draw and a tie, with the latter rarely offered in Test cricket or four-day domestic games.
  • Outright Tournament Betting – You can bet on a side to win a given tournament, whether that be the World Cup or one of the domestic trophies.
  • Top Run Scorer – In a match or series or tournament you can bet on which player you think will score the most runs. This can usually be either just for their side or including both sides.
  • Top Wicket Taker – As above but relating to wickets taken by a given bowler.
  • Series Correct Score – In a series, be it Test, one-day or T20 you can bet on what the overall series score will be.

Major Tournaments

  • The Ashes – The Test series between England and Australia is called the Ashes and is the pinnacle of the sport in many peoples’ eyes. Usually played every two years, in 2013-14 the sides will play each other in back-to-back fixtures, home and away due a scheduling quirk. The series receives massive media and bookmaker attention and you can expect a lot of promotions.
  • County Championship – The cricket equivalent of the Premier League in football, this is the most prestigious honour in domestic cricket. It is split into two divisions with sides playing each other home and away in the four-day version of the game.
  • Yorkshire Bank 40 – The top one-day domestic competition played between the British counties: 40 overs per side.
  • T20 – This is the domestic T20 competition, the shorter – some say more exciting – version of the game.
  • IPL – The Indian Premier League is the world’s premier club T20 tournament and is usually played in April and May. The richest competition in cricket it attracts the world’s most explosive players and biggest audiences.
  • World Cup – The cricket World Cup is held every four years and sees the top nations compete in the 50-over version of the game.
  • T20 World Cup – The main international T20 competition, this was first held in 2007, then 2009, 2010 and then every two years subsequently.
  • Any England Matches! – Cricket is a sport where most people care far more about country than county and so any England game is a major event, irrespective of the format. England play Test series home and away every year, usually with 50-over and 20-over contests scheduled alongside them.