Cricket matches are played over longer periods of time which offers fans a larger amount of betting options. There are fixtures that are played either by domestic teams or international teams that range in length, from the Twenty20 series all the way to the 5 day test series.
The Twenty20 series is a shortened version of cricket, where the teams play 1 innings each that last to a maximum 20 overs. These matches usually last around 3 hours, with each innings lasting 90 minutes.
There are One Day Internationals, or ODI, which last a full day. The teams play 1 innings each that can be played to a maximum 50 overs each. The ODI format is played in tournaments such as the Cricket World Cup and various international fixtures.
The longest cricket fixtures are the test matches. These matches are played over the course of 5 days, with both teams playing 2 innings each where they try to score more runs than their opponents in the given time.
There are different ways to win a 5 day test cricket match, as well as ways that the game can end in a draw.
The match can be concluded in the third innings, if the team that is batting their second innings is all batted out and are still trailing the score set by the other team in their first batting innings. The match can conclude in the fourth innings, when the team that is batting overtakes the runs won by the other team. If the match cannot be finished in the 5 days, the game is declared a draw. This can happen for a number of reasons such as bad weather causing playing time to be lost or if the ground is declared unfit for play.
Test cricket is therefore the hardest and the most physically and mentally gruelling format of the game. Teams need to plan their strategies well to be able to take the lead and then try to use the first few days to set a high score, before going to the last two innings when they need to focus on trying to bowl out the other team. If a team has a high score with their batting and still have wickets left in the innings, they can choose to declare. What this means is that they will end their batting innings and forfeit their last wickets. This tactical move can be done if a team feels like they have set a strong lead and need to leave at least 1 or 2 days for when they have to bowl.
Bet Types
There are many events that take place during cricket fixtures, allowing bookies to offer many different types of cricket bets. Here we will explain some of the main ones.
Match or Series Winner
A bet can be placed on either of the teams to win the match or the series. Whether playing in a Twenty20 match, an ODI or in a test cricket match, there will always be bets on which team will win. Odds will be offered on both of the teams and punters can place a wager on either to win.
Uncompleted or Draw
A bet can be placed on the match to not finish in the given time. In test cricket for example, if one or two days are lost due to weather conditions, then there is a chance that the fixture will end in a draw.
Totals
Totals are bets that can be placed on how many runs will be scored in an innings or in the full match. These bets do not specifically relate to which team wins the match, which makes it an interesting bet to place on teams that are evenly matched, or it can be combined with a bet on the match winner in a parlay.
With totals bets, there are several options that punters can choose on, with a bet on the match ending with more runs than the value presented in the bet, and a bet on the match ending with less runs. For example, in test cricket where the teams have 2 batting innings each, there may be a totals bet such as
over/under 550.5 runs in total
Here a bettor can place a wager on whether the two teams will be able to score 551 runs or more between them over the course of the 5 days. When totals are available, there can be different options depending on the format that the match is played in, these may include totals for separate innings, for the number of runs that one team manages to score as well as totals for the number of runs scored by both teams at the end of the fixture.
Live betting
When it comes to betting on cricket fixtures, there are many different aspects that can affect the outcome. The coin toss at the start of the match, the winner of which decides which team will bat first, can be hugely important to the outcome. When the teams play on the same surface for longer periods of time, the ball needs to be changed as it wears down and this can also be a factor that spin bowlers may use to their advantage. The pitch, on which the bowler delivers their throw, and the batsman tries to defend his stumps, also gets worn down during the course of a longer game, which can also be used by batters or bowlers for their advantage.
For these reasons, live betting is hugely popular in cricket. It is easier to be able to predict certain aspects of a game if fans can pick up some of these signs early in the match. Live betting uses live odds, which means that the odds will constantly be updated in real time. If a team loses wickets in a short space of time without making many runs, their odds may lengthen as it becomes more difficult for them to win. Similarly, the opposing team will see their odds shorten, as they become favoured to win the fixture.
Fans can choose to use live betting if they want to watch a bit of the fixture before placing their money on either team to win, or they may use the constantly changing odds to try and find a window of opportunity when the odds on the favourite lengthen.
Futures
Also called outrights, these are bets that can be placed on one team to win a tournament or league. These bets are called futures because they are offered well in advance. Outrights can be placed at any time during the league or the tournament, but the odds will be updated during the course of the competition. This means that usually the best odds on the favourite teams can be found before the competition begins.
Many More Markets
For some more prominent cricket fixtures, there are prop bets offered. There may be some incredibly specific bets that can breathe life into the smaller details of each innings. Bets can be found on which bowler will take the most wickets, have the least runs per over ratio, or how many no balls they will throw and many more. There are also bets that relate to which batsman scores the highest, hits the most fours, hits the most sixes, which batsmen will make the highest partnership and so on.
In addition to bets on specific players, there are also team related bets such as which of the two teams will have the most run outs, which team will win the coin toss, which team will have the highest batting partnership and so on. These all make the fixtures more exciting and some of these bets can offer some extremely long odds for fans to take advantage of.
In short, there are countless opportunities to place winning bets, even on the shortest of cricket matches. Take the time to do your research and explore the bet types, and you will be giving yourself the best possible chance of winning.