Introduction to Cricket
Are you looking for a new sport to shake up your betting slip? Perhaps you’ve never considered it before, but cricket could be just the thing. Before you take the plunge, though, we recommend that you have a basic understanding of cricket, how it’s played, and the different versions of the game.
You don’t need to be an expert in the sport, and we won’t bog you down with minute details, but a bit of knowledge goes a long way in helping you get the best cricket betting tips before you place your bets.
Contents
Main Rules
To a novice, cricket is a complicated game. Just when you think you understand how it’s played, another rule comes to light, and you’re thrown into the deep end again. You can easily get bogged down in the nitty-gritty, but once you’ve grasped these main rules, you’ll find cricket an enjoyable, exciting sport to watch.
1. Basics
- Cricket is played on an oval field, with a central batting pitch measuring 20m in length.
- Two teams of eleven players contest the game.
- Each team has a turn (innings) to bat. The non-batting side fields and bowls. The number of innings in a match depends on which format of the game you play.
- During the batting innings, two players from the batting team stand at each end of the pitch. They protect their wicket, which consists of three stumps (poles) on top of which rest two bails.
- A bowler from the fielding team bowls the ball to a batter. He tries to hit the ball into an open space, avoiding the fielders who try to stop or catch the ball to score runs.
2. Scoring
Batters score runs in a few different ways:
- Hitting the ball and running between the wickets, the full length of the pitch. Each time the batsmen cross sides, they score one run. The more times they cross, the more runs they score.
- Hitting the ball along the ground to reach the boundary rope. The batter scores four runs for this.
- Hitting the ball in the air, so it lands over the boundary rope without it touching the ground first. This shot scores six runs.
- When one batsman goes out, the next one in the lineup takes his place at the wicket.
3. Getting the better out
The fielding team tries to get the batsmen out by:
- Bowling and hitting the wickets to dislodge the bails.
- Catching the ball when it’s in the air, without it touching the ground first.
- Bowling the batsman Leg Before Wicket (LBW), when the ball hits the batsman’s leg pads in front of the wickets.
- The ball hitting the stumps mid-run before either batsman reaches the other side end of the pitch.
4. Game Duration
- The game consists of overs, each with six balls. There are 20-over matches, 50-over matches, and Test Matches. These have an unprescribed number of overs and last for up to five days.
- Bowlers alternate overs until they’ve completed their allocation.
- The batting team’s innings ends when they complete their overs (in a limited-overs game), or the fielding side gets ten of the batsmen out.
- The batting team must make as many runs as possible before their tenth batsman is out.
- The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins.
How to Understand the Game of Cricket
It’s essential that you grasp some of the fundamentals before you can understand the game of cricket sufficiently to wager on cricket betting sites with confidence.
What is Batting?Batting in cricket is how a team scores runs. During a batting inning, two players from the same team are on the pitch simultaneously. One, called the striker, faces the bowler while the other is at the non-striker’s end. The batsmen’s job is to hit the ball and score runs for the batting team. Connecting your bat regularly with the ball requires a certain amount of skill and many hours of practice. When the batsmen run, they cross on the pitch. If they score an odd number of runs, the batsman who was previously the non-striker becomes the striker. We call this “rotating the strike “, and both players have the chance to score runs for their team. When a batter goes out, by whatever means, he leaves the pitch, and a new batsman replaces him. | |
What is Bowling?Bowling is the action of the bowler on the fielding team when he launches the ball through the air towards the batsman. Like batting, bowling takes talent and hours of practice to perfect your method. There are several methods of bowling, including fast bowling, swing, seam, and spin bowling. Within each of these, there are variations that turn the ball in the air, making it more challenging for the batsman to connect with it. We call each ball bowled a delivery, and bowlers bowl in overs of six deliveries each. Bowlers alternate overs, and each delivery in an over are bowled from the same end of the pitch. The next bowler bowls from the opposite end. The bowlers’ job is to get the batsmen out with a few runs scored as possible. | |
How Important is the Wicket?A batter’s wicket is central to the game of cricket. When the bails are knocked off the stumps during a run, we say the batsman has lost his wicket. He’s deemed out and must leave the field, with a new batsman taking his place. The same applies to LBWs and clean catches in the field. The longer the batting side can hold on to their wickets, the more runs they can accumulate and the better their chances of winning the match. On the other hand, the fielding side tries to take wickets as fast as possible and prevent the batting side from posting too high a total. The lower they can keep the run tally, the better their chances of reaching or passing this score when it’s their turn to bat. |
Different Cricket Formats
While the basics of cricket are standard, there are different formats of the game. When it comes to cricket betting, it’s important that you understand the differences to choose who to back.
First-class Cricket
First-class cricket is the highest standard of cricket and is traditionally played over at least three days. The most popular version of this is Test Cricket. These are international matches, each lasting up to five days. During this time, each team has two innings, and there’s no limit to the number of overs bowled in each innings. Die-hard fans of this game believe that this test of skill, talent, and endurance makes cricket the ultimate sport.
Limited Overs Cricket
The clue is in the name. Matches have a set number of overs per innings. International matches take place over 50 overs, and domestic games are generally limited to 45. Each team has one innings to score as many runs as possible. Because of its faster pace, this format is usually more exciting and entertaining than first-class cricket.
National teams compete in the Cricket World Cup every four years. This tournament is highly anticipated among cricket lovers and even attracts those who aren’t familiar with the game. Fans, in particular, look forward to betting on the Cricket World Cup.
Twenty20 Cricket
Twenty20 cricket is one of the latest formats of the game, first, playedin 2003. It’s also a form of limited-overs cricket, with each innings consisting of just 20 overs. During this time, the batting side must score as many runs as they can. These matches favour the big hitters and are characterized by the high number of boundaries scored.
A popular Twenty20 tournament is the Indian Premier League, or IPL, featuring teams made up of a host of the best international players. IPL cricket betting features highly on sportsbooks during this tournament.
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Any sportsbook worth its salt will include cricket betting on its menu. You’ll find most cricket tournaments and matches listed ahead of time, enabling you to get your bets in early. Some sportsbooks for cricket bets are, however, better than others. For example, they may offer live cricket betting for selected games, so you can wager as the match unfolds. This betting option provides high-adrenaline entertainment for both seasoned and novice bettors.
Although cricket’s not one of the most played sports in America, it has a large fanbase that frequent many cricket betting sites in the USA. If you’re new to cricket betting, scour through our list of most trusted bookmakers for cricket. We’ve selected these based on strict criteria, so you can relax in the knowledge that we back them completely. Select one with the best cricket betting odds, and place your bet. Then sit back, and wait for the game to begin.
Cricket Facts and History
People have played cricket in one form or another since the early 17th century. The game experienced substantial growth in the 18th century, particularly in London and southeast England, and saw the implementation of the Laws of Cricket. These were the first rules and guidelines by which players played the game. They are still in existence and change as the game becomes more innovative.
Cricket spread quickly throughout the world. It reached North America in the 17th century, and Australia welcomed the sport in the 18th century. India followed shortly after that, and the game landed on the shores of New Zealand and South Africa in the 19th century.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) was originally founded in 1906 as the Imperial Cricket Conference, with just England, Australia, and South Africa as members. Throughout the century, more countries joined this official cricket body as test-playing nations.
The 1960s saw the introduction of limited-overs cricket to make the game more exciting and encourage match attendance. Interest grew exponentially, with the first international match taking place in 1971. The first Cricket World Cup took place in 1975 between Australia and the West Indies, with the West Indies emerging victorious. Although this international limited-overs tournament only takes place every four years, it’s one of the highlights of every cricket lover’s calendar and provides extensive options for online cricket betting.
Twenty20 cricket exploded onto the scene in 2003, and the ICC adopted it as the third format of the game in 2005. The fast-paced nature of the game provides a high level of entertainment for spectators. For these reasons, and the fact that it’s a substantially shorter format than ODIs and Test matches, it’s drawn in plenty of people who were previously not fans of the game. There’s a hype around T20 games that translates into more cricket match betting.Cricket betting started with the Gaming Act of 1664. Like the sport, it’s experienced notable developments, the most significant being the invention of the internet and the subsequent growth of cricket betting apps. These continue to play a role in increasing general interest in the sport, allowing it to further its reach throughout the international sporting community.
Conclusion
Cricket has a long history and has experienced many changes in recent years. Many of these developments successfully reignited spectator interest in the sport and encouraged participation from ground roots level through the age groups.
With several established formats of the game played both nationally and internationally, more bettors include cricket betting on their bet slips. Even with a limited understanding of the sport, they can shop around for the best cricket betting rates and place a straightforward win, lose or draw bet on their county or national team.
FAQs
What are the popular cricket betting options?
The most common cricket bet at the bookies is match betting. Here, you decide whether the home team or the away team will win or if the game will end in a draw. You could also bet on the top batsman, who will score the most runs in the game, or top bowler, where you predict, and who will take the most wickets.
Do I need to play cricket to bet on matches?
No, you don’t, but it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the game, especially if you want to bet on something other than the match outcome.
Which is the best site for cricket betting?
We’ve provided a list of those sites that we feel are the most trusted operators. Select one with the most convenient payment methods, best cricket betting options and odds, and various ways to reach customer support.
What cricket matches can I bet on?
Most sportsbooks with cricket betting feature all the main tournaments, including the IPL, Cricket World Cup, T20 World Cup, as well as international series’ and national leagues for all game formats.
Elica Martinova
Betting expert
Certified Betting Expert
Ellie is in charge of writing, editing, and publishing reviews in Bulgarian, English, and German. She has a long track record as a journalist and is passionate about writing. Also, she is quite experienced when it comes to bookmakers as well.