As the world’s first professional team sport, cricket boasts one of the oldest and most diverse betting scenes on the planet. Nowadays you can wager on Test matches, One Day Internationals, Twenty20 games and domestic cricket with the click of a button, thanks to our trusted online bookmakers:
– www.CrownBet.com
– www.WilliamHill.com
– www.Sportsbet.com
– www.Bet365.com
– www.Luxbet.com
How to bet on cricket matches
With three unique formats played in dozens of countries all over the globe, cricket offers a wealth and variety of online betting options that few other sports can match. Sign up at one of our top-ranked sportsbook sites and check out an enormous range of big-money cricket markets such as these:
Head-to-head betting
– Match winner
– Double chance
– Draw no bet
Other match markets
– Total match sixes
– Total match fours
– Team of top batsmen
– Coin toss
First innings bets
– Highest opening partnership
– Highest first 15 overs (Test and ODI)
– Highest first six overs (T20)
– 100 to be scored?
– 50 to be scored?
– First over runs
– Method of first dismissal
Props and exotics
– Man of the match
– Top team batsman
– Top team bowler
– Player over/under runs scored
– Player head-to-head performance
Futures and outright bets
– Series result
– Correct series score
– Most runs for the series
– Most wickets for the series
– To reach the final
– To pass the group stage
Test cricket markets
The Test Championship is the premier level of representative cricket, featuring the world’s top 10 national teams: Australia, England, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Matches are played over two innings and for up to five days, in what is often a gruelling test of both mind and body.
The Ashes – England and Australia played the very first Test match back in 1877 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and they’ve been the best of enemies ever since. Every two years they resume hostilities to contest the Ashes urn – the ultimate symbol of supremacy in cricket’s greatest international rivalry.
Border-Gavaskar Trophy – Australia and India may not seem the likeliest of foes, but their recent power struggles both on and off the field has made for some fierce showdowns on the Test arena. The series winner’s trophy, first awarded in 1997, is named for two of the game’s great leaders: Australia’s Allan Border and India’s Sunil Gavaskar.
Frank Worrell Trophy – Australia and the West Indies have played out some of most memorable moments in cricket history, including the famous Tied Test of 1960. After 17 years of Windies dominance in the 1970s and ’80s, however, the Aussies have now held the trophy since 1995.
Trans Tasman Trophy – Australia have a lot of enemies, don’t they? Once a footnote on the cricket calendar, the ANZAC rivalry is starting to gain real significance as the Kiwis – so often the whipping boys in decades past – continue to climb the international rankings.
India vs Pakistan – Contests between these two cricket-mad nations are almost as intense as the border wars they’ve been fighting for the last 60 years or so. The importance of this rivalry extends well beyond the field of play, as cricket offers rare opportunities for good will and diplomacy between India and Pakistan.
England vs India – Like the Pakistan rivalry, these colonial clashes are loaded with historical and political grudges. England-India Test series currently feature two main prizes: the Pataudi Trophy for contests held in England, and the Anthony De Mello Trophy for those on the subcontinent.
ODI cricket betting
One Day International (ODI) cricket is the elite limited-overs format, where each side has 50 overs in which to post their scores. Unlike Test cricket, one-day series often feature three or more teams in a round robin competition. There are also several high-profile ODI knockout competitions, including:
ICC Cricket World Cup – Many would argue that this is the biggest prize in all of cricket, bar none. The rest join the best as they go head-to-head in a thrilling knockout comp to see who will be crowned champion of the world. Australia have collected a record five titles, while the West Indies and India (two each) also have multiple wins.
ICC Champions Trophy – Whereas the World Cup includes associate nations such as Ireland, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, the Champions Trophy features only the eight top-ranked ODI teams. It was first held in Bangladesh in 1998 as the ICC Knockout Trophy, with South Africa claiming their first (and so far only) international honours.
ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup – Fun fact: the first Women’s World Cup was held in 1973, some two years before the men’s version was inaugurated. The Southern Stars of Australia have been even more dominant than their male counterparts, winning six CWC titles in 10 attempts, while England (three) and New Zealand (one) have picked up the scraps.
Best Twenty20 competitions
Twenty20 is the newest, most exciting style of limited-overs cricket, jam-packed with aggressive hitting, clever bowling variations and high-intensity fielding. With star-studded domestic leagues all over the world, the 20-over format has quickly become a firm favourite amongst cricket nuts and keen punters alike.
ICC World Twenty20 – The World T20 tournament is like the Cricket World Cup in fast forward. It was first staged in 2007 in South Africa, where India become the inaugural champions after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan in a thrilling final at Johannesburg.
Indian Premier League – Although Twenty20 cricket first appeared in the UK, India is now the undisputed home of the format. The IPL is the richest and most prestigious T20 league in the world, with major franchises such as Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore drawing superstar talent from all over the globe.
Big Bash League – Australia may be late bloomers on the T20 stage, but the BBL is now widely regarded as the best short-form competition outside of India. It currently features eight franchises: Adelaide Strikers, Brisbane Heat, Hobart Hurricanes, Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Stars, Perth Scorchers, Sydney Sixers, Sydney Thunder.
Caribbean Premier League – The West Indies have always been touted as the greatest entertainers in world cricket, and their burgeoning T20 competition only furthers that reputation. International stars who have joined the CPL in recent years include Kevin Pietersen, Jacques Kallis, Shahid Afridi and Daniel Vettori.
