Cricket betting tips

Cricket is one of the toughest sports to bet on, and making the move from recreational betting to making consistent profits is a real challenge. The following basic cricket betting tips are intended to help punters make more considered bets, improving their chances of earning payouts from the cricket betting markets.

Turn to statistics

Several websites provide detailed statistical information on international cricket and top cricket players. You can use this information to give you insights into team form, weaknesses, historical trends in the interaction between two teams and which players flourish against particular opponents.

You can use head-to-head data to generate more reliable match bets, and use player statistics to determine which players merit top runscorer bets.

Consider the pitch

The pitch for a cricket match constitutes the third “player.” Wait for the pitch report before placing your bets and analyse recent results on a pitch to check for any bias towards the team batting first or second. When betting on test cricket, also find out whether the pitch has a tendency to break up during the course of a match, and how quickly the pitch can be expected to deteriorate.

Consider the ground

The ground used to host a cricket match will have a significant impact on the outcome of bets in several different cricket betting markets. Simple factors like the speed of the outfield and length of the boundaries can affect score limitations, as well as how many boundaries are likely to be scored during a match. Also pay attention to the weather conditions and drainage at a ground. This can affect the performance of the outfield and the number of runs scored during a match.

Depending on the location of the ground, day-night matches may produce drastically different conditions to all-day games.

Compare odds

One-day international and test cricket tends to be dominated by particular teams, often for periods of over a decade. These teams will therefore tend to be priced at low odds. To secure the best prices on match and outright betting, it’s essential for cricket fans to shop around for the best available odds. Using an odds comparison service can help you find the best possible price on any selection.

Use a betting exchange

Using betting exchanges such Betfair is one way of increasing your chances of earning profits from cricket betting. Exchanges allow punters to place lay bets – or bets that a specific team won’t win a cricket match. Lay betting can be a very effective strategy when betting on test cricket because a single lay bet covers both a result and a draw.

Stay focused

The variety of in-play cricket betting markets on offer can lure unwary punters into placing reflexive, speculative bets. Many of these bets, such as next batsman out, method of next dismissal and result of next ball bowled have a very low probability of paying out due to the unpredictable nature of the sport.

It’s wiser to use the statistical information that’s available to place well researched, pre-match bets, rather than being lured into the lottery of ball-by-ball betting.

Pick your format

The three different cricket formats are all suited to different betting strategies.

• T20 cricket is unpredictable and prone to upsets. The momentum in a match can shift within the space of two to three deliveries. This means the format offers very volatile live betting markets, which can be used to hedge pre-match bets.
•  A wealth of statistical information is available for one-day international cricket. You can use this information to determine form, trends between teams, and the influence of venues on the way play typically unfolds. Also, punters betting on the match betting markets don’t have to worry about covering a possible draw in their betting strategies.
• Team and player form tends to be particularly stable in test cricket, which is useful for punters who enjoy betting on series outcomes or top runscorer betting markets. Stable form and the possibility of a draw mean that often it’s a good strategy to lay an underdog, rather than attempting to back the favourite in a one-sided encounter.