How to Bet on Cricket – Cricket Betting Guide, Tips & Strategies

Cricket is a popular sport worldwide, from Australia and India to England and the West Indies. Cricket fans enjoy multiple game formats, with 20-over domestic action alongside traditional 5-day tests played over a series of up to 5 matches.

Given the lasting appeal of cricket and the excitement of each format, there are many different ways to bet on cricket, with numerous markets. So, read on to find out how to bet on cricket and check out your options at Stake Sportsbook .

History of Cricket

Cricket is a quintessentially English game. By the middle of the 17th century, village cricket teams had been established, following the evolution of a game played with bat and ball, initially in Saxon England.

In the middle of the 18th century, the first laws of cricket were written up and established, and the game was standardised in England. The laws introduced the likes of leg-before-wicket, the third stump on the wicket, and a maximum bat width. The laws were initially drawn up by the Star and Garter Club members, who would go on to establish the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), England’s most prestigious club.

As Britain’s imperial interests expanded to different parts of the world, cricket became a global game. It was introduced to the West Indies, India, and Australia sometime in the late 18th century, and it became a popular game in South Africa at the start of the 19th century.

The first-ever international cricket game was between the US and Canada, and it was played in New York in 1844. In 1877, a touring team of English cricketers played two matches in Australia, essentially giving birth to the tradition of test matches between the two nations. Australia’s subsequent visit to England in 1882 is held as the establishment of The Ashes - one of cricket’s most-watched events in the present day.

From 1900 onwards, cricket became a truly global game, and the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC) was founded in 1909 to standardise the sport. England, Australia, and South Africa were founding members of the ICC before New Zealand, the West Indies, and other members were added throughout the century.

Today, cricket has come a long way since its inception, becoming one of the world's most popular sports and most widely played games. Fans can enjoy international test cricket, which is usually played over five days a match, with three to five matches in a series, as well as one-day international matches and 20-20 competitions, where each team plays for 50 and 20 overs, respectively.

Cricket Rules & Basics

The rules of cricket are complex and change depending on the game’s format. However, it’s possible to gain a basic understanding of the rules of cricket without going into the details of complex laws.

Primarily, cricket is a game contested between two teams of eleven players.

Games comprise at least one inning where each team takes turns batting and fielding. The fielding team nominates a bowler to try to hit the stumps while the batter attempts to protect the stumps and score runs for their team.

If the bowler hits the stumps and causes the bails to fall, it results in a wicket, and the batter must leave the field to be replaced by the next in line. However, if the batter strikes the ball with the bat, they can score runs to add to their team’s total. To claim runs, the batters on the field run between the wickets. They can also hit the ball to the boundary for four runs or over the boundary rope without bouncing for six runs.

The fielding team can also claim a wicket by catching the batter’s shot on the full or by bowling onto the batter’s leg in front of the stumps (this is known as leg-before-wicket - LBW). It’s also possible to remove a batter with a run-out, which sees the fielding team hit the stumps with the ball while the batters are running between the wickets.

The batting team remains in bat until the fielding team claims ten wickets. They then switch places, and the team that goes into bat second must try and score more runs than the team that batted first. Ultimately, the winners are the team with the most runs at the end of the innings.

Major Cricket Events

Cricket is a game enjoyed by the masses, with numerous different formats played worldwide in the form of leagues and knockout competitions. For instance, some of the most popular cricket events, leagues, and tournaments you can bet on at Stake.com include:

• T20 World Cup : Fast-paced and frenetic, the T20 World Cup is one of the most popular international cricket events on the calendar.

• International Tests : The newly established ICC World Test Championship is competed by nations like India, New Zealand , England, Bangladesh , and South Africa throughout the year.

• Big Bash League : Australia’s leading T20 tournament is hugely popular with domestic cricket fans Down Under.

• Simulated Reality : If you don’t want to wait for a major cricket tournament to get underway, you can bet on simulated reality cricket at Stake.com.

• IPL : The Indian Premier League is one of the most exciting T20 leagues in the world, attracting the best players from every continent.

• Cricket World Cup : Using the 50-over format, the World Cup comes around every four years, won most recently by Australia, who beat the hosts India in a pulsating final.

Popular Events in 2024

If you’re keen to bet on live cricket in 2024, here are some of the biggest events and tournaments to look forward to:

May 2024

• T20: England v Pakistan

• T20 England domestic: Vitality Blast Season Start

June

• Men’s T20 World Cup: United States of America & West Indies 2024

July

• Test: Zimbabwe v India

• Test: Afghanistan v Bangladesh

• The Hundred: Season Start

August

• Test: England v Sri Lanka

• Test: Pakistan v Bangladesh

September

• Test: Sri Lanka v New Zealand

• ODI: England v Australia

• Test: India v Bangladesh

How to Bet on Cricket & Betting Options

With that brief history of the game and the basic rules of cricket in mind, let’s look at the different types of bets you can place on cricket at Stake.com:

Moneyline (Head-to-Head)

The easiest cricket bet to place is the moneyline , a head-to-head bet. For instance, if South Africa are playing England in an ODI (one-day-international), you can pick the team you think will win the fixture.

Once your bet is placed, you can sit back and enjoy the action without worrying about the rate at which runs are scored or which player scores the most runs. The only thing that matters in a cricket moneyline bet is which team wins.

Team w/ top batter/bowler

A bet unique to cricket is placing a wager on which team will have the top batter or bowler in a fixture. A bowler might finish a test match with eight wickets, while a batter might score an impressive 190 runs over two innings to finish as the highest-scoring batter in the test.

Your job with this bet type is not to select the player who will perform the best - you only need to bet on the team that the leading batter or bowler plays for in the match or series.

Total fours (over/under)

No matter the format of cricket, boundaries are the most exciting feature. When a player hits a four, the ball runs to the boundary line without being stopped by the fielding team.

You can bet on how many fours a team will hit in a match, selecting over or under the line set by the sportsbook.

Total sixes (over/under)

Sixes are common in ODIs and T20 matches and are the most exciting shots in cricket. A batter hits a six when the ball does not bounce before passing over the boundary rope. Again, you can bet on whether over or under a specific number of sixes will be scored in the game.

Most fours and most sixes

You can also place a bet on which team or player you think will score the most fours and sixes. This is a form of proposition bet and is a great way to build out your cricket betting slip.

Live Streaming Cricket & Live Betting on Stake Sportsbook

Stake.com is the best place to live stream cricket and other sports without a paid subscription. Simply sign into your Stake.com account and check which upcoming cricket fixtures you can live stream, including tests and T20 matches.

Then, you can place live bets during the match. Given the length of cricket games, particularly tests, live betting is a great way to capitalise on what is happening out on the field. You can bet on things like the fall of the next wicket and the next boundary.

Cricket Betting Strategies & Tips

Here are some tips to help you successfully bet on cricket:

• Understand the format: The key to betting on cricket is understanding the format of the game. Some games are played with 20 overs, while others are played with 50. Others are tests, which are played with unlimited overs across five days. So, knowing the format of the game is important as it will influence betting metrics like runs and wickets.

• Know the rules: While you don’t have to be an expert, you need a rudimentary understanding of cricket rules before betting. Read up on how games are played over at least two innings and the format of batting and bowling as a minimum.

• Find value with prop bets: Prop bets are a great option as matches are so long, and various aspects can come into play. For instance, find great value when betting on things like the number of runs a particular batter will score or the economy rate of your favourite bowler.

• Access promotions: At Stake.com, we run regular sports betting promotions for you to access throughout the cricket season. Take advantage of these promotions to boost your bankroll before betting on cricket. If you’re an avid sports bettor, you can also learn about the exclusive promotions via the Stake VIP Club .

How to Deposit Funds to Bet on Cricket & Bet Responsibly

You can place cricket bets at Stake Sportsbook by depositing in a local fiat currency or via cryptocurrencies.

Right now, you can play at Stake.com with the following local currencies – ARS, CLP, BRL, JPY, INR, and PEN. Depending on your preferences, you can also view your balance in numerous other currencies too.

You can find more information about our local currency options on our community forum, as well as our local currency payment guide.

To place cricket bets with crypto, you can easily deposit crypto units into your account using coins like BTC, ETH, Doge, and LTC. You can find the full list of available cryptocurrencies on our blog, as well as our recommendations and guide for choosing the right coin for you.

Stake offers live support to sports bettors via our customer support staff for help with issues like depositing and withdrawing units and more.

Moonpay supports multiple payment options, including Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and others, to buy cryptocurrency to place cricket bets. For a full list of supported payment options, please refer to the Moonpay documentation .

Learn how to use the Stake Vault to securely store your funds online for all future bets at Stake Sportsbook. You can also read our crypto security guide to learn more about keeping your funds safe and secure at Stake.com.

Please always remember to bet within your means and gamble responsibly . You can find out how to stay in control with our Stake Smart guidelines . You can also use our monthly budget calculator to determine how much of your disposable income to allocate to gambling.

Why Bet on Cricket at Stake.com?

Stake Sportsbook is the home of cricket betting, with markets and betting options for all domestic leagues, international tests, and major tournaments. We offer great value odds, monthly bonuses , and unrivalled live streaming of cricket action, enabling you to watch and bet on all cricket matches you want to engage with.

If you want more details about betting on cricket and other sports at Stake.com, refer to our helpful online sports betting guide before getting started.