Cricket Betting Strategies
Cricket has worldwide appeal and behind soccer it is the second biggest sport, mainly due to the huge following it has in Asian countries such as India and Pakistan. Alongside being a hugely popular sport to watch, it is also a big betting sport, and thanks to huge investment and the creation of various T20 leagues around the world, it is rare we have a period of time where no cricket is taking place somewhere in the world that we can bet on.
The Three Formats of Cricket
There are three different versions of cricket. The longest is test cricket, which is played over five days between international teams and four days in the various domestic leagues that are played. The second version is one day cricket, which is limited to 50 overs per team, and as the name suggests, the games are played in one day.
The last version, most recent, and quickly becoming the most popular is T20 cricket, which is a quick 20 overs per side game, that has excitement from the first ball right through to the last. With international games, and many T20 leagues spread all over the world, we now have T20 cricket played in every month of the year.
Cricket Match Betting
The most common and easiest way to bet on cricket is to place a bet on who will win a game. This means simply choosing the team you would like to win, and regardless of how they win, if they win then you win.
By studying the recent results of the teams involved you are able to get a feel for which is the best team, and this can help you choose which team to put your money on. However, one of the best things about cricket is the number of other ways in which you can bet, which is why it has become such a popular betting sport.
Alternative Cricket Betting Markets
Top Run Scorer / Wicket Taker
Perhaps one of the most popular ways to bet in cricket is to back a player to be successful rather than a team. You can do this by using one of two markets, either the top run scorer market or the top wicket taker market, depending on whether you are backing a batsman to score the most runs or a bowler to take the most wickets.
If you are looking for some kind of strategy when using these markets then as far as the batsmen go, it is vital to look for the batting order. If a batsman starts too low down the order, they may not get a bat at all, or not enough time to score a lot of runs so try to focus on those near the top of the order.
When it comes to the bowlers, the most important information here is certainly the pitch. Will it turn for the spinners, seam for the faster bowlers or will cloud cover cause the ball to swing. All of these favour a different type of bowler, so try to match the conditions with the bowler you think is best placed to take advantage.
Over/Under Markets
There are many of these markets created in play, which we will talk about shortly but some are also available before the match begins and offer a great way to get involved. The most common of these is the fall of the first wicket, and how many runs will be scored before that. For example, if the line is 30.5 then you are backing either 30 runs and under or 31 runs and over scored when the first wicket falls in the game.
Another popular over/under market is the number of boundaries. This can either be for one team or in the game overall. You can also split this market into the number of 4s scored or the number of 6s scored if you wish, or keep it simple with total boundaries. Either way, this is another great way to get involved if you want to back something for interest rather than backing a team to win.
Cricket In Play Betting
Cricket is without a doubt one of the best sports to bet in play on, with an ever changing game and many different markets added once the game begins. These include betting on each ball if you wish, or what happens in the next over as well as all the regular betting markets that are available as above.
The next over and next ball markets allow you to condense the game down into small segments, allowing you to place multiple wagers on the same game if you wish. For example, if you see a bowler doing poorly, you can back for runs to be scored in the over when he is bowling. Or if someone is bowling well you can either bet under the run line, or for a wicket to be taken during the over. This can also be done with each ball, with betting available on what will happen on the ball.
The over/under markets are expanded during in play and the most popular of these are the total run market for each batsman. If you see someone come to the crease and struggle with conditions then you can back under the run line for them to score a lower amount of runs than the bookmaker thinks. The same can be done in the opposite way, if a batsman looks in good touch you can back him to score over the run line.
With all of these markets available and a game that can change from ball to ball, especially in the shorter formats of the game, in play betting in cricket is rapidly growing in popularity and it is no surprise. If you are watching a game then take a look at the betting markets available, to get a flavour of what you can bet on during play.
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