Cricket is one of the most popular sports in some of the most populous countries of the planet. With such a large number of people who love the sport, a lot of other industries are also supported by the sport. One of the most prominent industries is the sports betting industry. Betting on cricket matches is one of the most exciting things for cricket fans to do. Not only does it add to the thrill of watching and following a game, it also allows them to earn some extra cash with the help of the sport that they love. Different people bet on cricket for different reasons. Some people just do it for fun and entertainment and some bet a serious amount of money on it as well. If you are looking to bet regularly and earn some good amount of money with your bets, you will need to formulate a good betting strategy. You must select the right bookmaker or online betting site for yourself. Make sure that it suits your betting style and offers appropriate betting conditions for cricket. If you place your bets with a bad bookmaker, things can go very wrong, very fast. Cricket is not the easiest or the simplest sport to understand and there are a lot of aspects in it which you need to pay attention to. Here are some of the best tips from our cricket betting guide to help you win in cricket betting.
Cricket Betting Guide 2021: Winning in Cricket Betting
Understand the different formats
First thing you need to do before you can start placing cricket bets online, you will need to understand the different formats of the game. We will take a brief look at the different formats of the game. You will get a basic idea of them with these descriptions but you can always look online if you want to learn more.
Test Cricket
Test Cricket is the original and purest form of the game. These games can be played for a maximum of five days. Each side has two innings. Some famous examples of this format are the Ashes Series (that’s arranged between Australia and England) and the England County Championship, which interestingly has a four-day version of the layout. Players wear all white uniforms with team coloured caps. The length of this format and the slow pace at which it is played restricts its appeal in the eyes of the casual fans but for many die hard fans of the sport, Test Cricket is the truest, most beautiful form of cricket.
One Day International (ODI)
As you likely have guessed from the name, it takes place within a day. Each side here is allowed 50 overs to bat. In a bid to aid scoring runs, certain field restrictions, which aren’t there in test matches, apply in this format of play. Notable examples of competitions having this format are the ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy. Players wear coloured uniforms during ODI matches. A lot of modern ODI features can trace their origin to Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket of the 70s.
Twenty20 International (T20I)
This is definitely the fastest and most exciting format of cricket and it has contributed to a major rise in cricket’s popularity all over the globe. While less than 15 countries play Test Cricket, over 80 countries play T20Is. What makes this fast paced, aggressive style of cricket tick is the fact that each side only has twenty overs to obtain a winning score. Fielding restrictions are also a characteristic of play as with the One-day format. Since the time taken to play in this type of format is short, its popularity seems to rise with every passing year, especially when it comes to TV companies. Its popularity is such that every serious cricketing nation has a Twenty20 competitive event; the Indian Premier League being the most prestigious and lucrative of the lot.
What Are The Different Kinds of Bets?
You now have an acceptable grasp of the modern cricket formats. Where then should we bet our money? You can place your wager on almost any and every conceivable cricketing statistic. Regardless of this, we will take you through the most popular options available.
Series/match results
This is the most straightforward and thus the most popular. It is simply a wager on the team that will emerge victorious in an individual game or a series of games.
Top runs scorer
This bet is placed on a player who will score the most runs in a whole match or specific innings.
Top wicket taker
This bet is placed on the bowler who is most likely to take the highest number of wickets during a match or an innings.
Total runs scored
It is a comparative wager that gauges the total number of runs a player or team makes in comparison to a predefined specific figure.
Number of fours and sixes hit
This is a bet which gambles on which opening partnerships when in bat record the highest run totals
Man of the match
This bet is placed on the player who is likely to be named the man of the match at the end of the contest.
Which are the best Cricket betting strategies?
Making bets based on gut-feelings is easy as compared to developing and analyzing a strategy. However, you don’t need extreme statistical analyses if you utilize our tried and tested schools of thought.
Check the weather forecast
In a game heavily dependent on wind and degree of atmospheric turbulence, knowing the weather could give you some hidden insight. For instance, games happening in days predicted to be rainy might be shortened if showers fall, supporting the team that bats second. This can be explained using the Duckworth-Lewis formula. It utilizes the runs scored by a team up to the match-abandonment point to predict the sum total that the game played out till its end. The team batting second is at an advantage as they will know the sum they need at the match’s conclusion for every over up until when the rain starts. They can then adjust their strategy accordingly.
Understand the importance if the toss
The decision on who bats first has a considerable influence on the outcome of the fixture. This is because the first team at the bat will have less of a disadvantage associated with wear and tear of the wickets as the game progresses. A messed up wicket has the bowlers in favor, and so batting first makes more sense as the terrain is smoother.
Form matters a lot
The form will dictate how good or bad a team or an individual player is performing. Slumps come and go, but once your money is gone, that’s forever. Make sure you assess the teams and players beforehand to know their most recent performance stats. It is best to stick to sides and players who are near or are at their peaks.
Pitch report is key
While this may not be a top priority to most betters, the characteristics of the different game pitches matter a lot in cricket. The flat pitches of the subcontinent are great for batting so you can expect high scoring affairs. The pace and bounce of Australian pitches make bowlers very crucial. The cold, windswept conditions of England provide a lot of swing for bowlers. A lot of pitches also tend to deteriorate during the match so the conditions can change dramatically during the match. This change is more visible in test matches as well, when pitches change drastically by the third day of the match. Hence, always keep the pitch report in mind before placing bets.
Winning Cricket Bets: Conclusion
Let’s make one thing very clear, there is no set way of betting. A foolproof strategy doesn’t exist and even the most successful betting strategy can fail at times. When it comes to winning at cricket betting, knowledge truly is power. The more you research and learn, the more you will know and the better and more informed your bets will be. Hopefully, our cricket betting guide will help you formulate your ultimate betting strategy.