Cricket Betting

The game of cricket is so much more than 22 men gathering around a pitch, trying to score.  Cricket is an intricate game, played in a variety of formats and styles.  In order to participate in successful cricket betting, it is imperative to understand the basic general and betting rules of the game.

Cricket: The Basics

Cricket is played various formats.  These are 4-day matches, 5-day test matches (international sides), Fifty-overs per side matches (e.g. the World Cup or ICC Tournaments), Forty-overs per side matches and Twenty-overs per side matches (the Indian Premier League, or IPL, and Champions League Twenty20 are examples of these).

Understanding the formats, and which players are better suited to each format, is a good starting point when participating in cricket betting.  It is possible – and it is often the case – for a player to be world-class quality in one format, and a complete non-performer in others.  Some players are better suited to the more fast paced Twenty20 games, than a 5-day test match.

Cricket betting rates re-enforces the old cliché: location, location, location.  A player conditioned to play on a pitch in India will most probably not achieve the same level of performance on a pitch in England.  This is as a result of the condition of the pitch in a particular climate.  Indian pitches tend to be much slower than pitches in New Zealand.  Players have difficulty crossing over with ease.

Listening to the opinions of commentators regarding the condition of the pitch can be very valuable as a source of information.  Commentators generally focus on the condition of the pitch during any given game, for the very reason that the pitch is generally the deciding factor.

The Duckworth Lewis Conundrum

The Duckworth Lewis method is applied by game organisers in the event that it becomes necessary to reset batting totals as a result of bad weather.  The weather can turn a 5-day test match into a 1-day match.  This immediately rocks the boat as far as players are concerned.  The weather being the great equalizer, it is important that punters learn how to read weather conditions accurately.

Cricket Betting Bet Types

Popular bet types include Match Winner, Test Match End, Completed Match, Total Runs and Top Batsman.

Keeping Up With Partnerships

A solid partnership between two batsmen can greatly affect the rise of run lines during live bets.  This can wobble the betting boat as soon as a wicket is struck, causing a new batsman to be added to the mix.  It is therefore pivotal to regularly keep up with matches, in order to make accurate predictions as to various pairings in partnerships.

The Ever-Evolving Total

A totals estimate should only be made once the better part of the first innings has been completed, and the condition of the pitch reassessed.  The outcome of the first innings can provide a good idea as to what may go down during the second innings.

Teams generally also vary their various approaches to the different innings, depending on the results as they unfold.  All of this must be taken into consideration, making the gathering of information regarding team strategy very crucial to cricket betting.