About Betting on International Cricket Matches
South African usually have a jam packed cricketing calendar each year which gives South African bettors multiple opportunities to bet on cricket matches throughout the calendar year. If you are looking for a comprehensive guide that walks you through a simple process of betting on international cricket matches, look no further as our team has put together a detailed breakdown of how to bet on South African cricket.
Keep reading to learn more about:
- Different Formats of International Cricket
- Top International Cricket Tournaments
- Popular Cricket Betting Markets
- Calculating Betting Odds for Cricket Matches in South Africa
- Is It Legal to Bet on Cricket Games in South Africa?
- Expert Cricket Betting Strategies to Boost Your Odds of Winning
- Live Betting on Cricket Matches
- Cricket Betting and Promo Offers
- Responsible Cricket Betting Tips
- Cricket Betting – Common Mistakes
- Frequently Asked Questions on Cricket Betting
What are the Different Formats of International Cricket
There are currently three formats of international cricket played by countries who are part of the ICC. We take a brief look at all three formats below.
ODI Cricket
ODI cricket is the second oldest format of international cricket and the first ODI game took place in 1971. The ODI format is played as a 50 over format sometimes as day games and sometimes as day/night games under light and in colour clothing. There has been a push in recent years to do away with the ODI format as some cricketing pundits feel that the ODI format is now too slow as cricket fans prefer the T20 format.
Some of the top ODI players for South Africa over the years include Gary Kirsten, Jonty Rhodes, Shaun Pollock, AB Devilliers and Lance Klusner.
Test Cricket
Cricketing purists consider test cricket to be the true ‘test’ of cricket as the 5 day format is brutal in testing cricketing skills, endurance, cricketing IQ, mental strength and resilience. The 5 day format requires a total of 90 overs to be bowled each day and for each team to have two innings (where they bat). While test cricket can be boring for the T20 enthusiasts, it is a very exciting format for those who love to see a game of skill and strategy due to the ebb and flows that occur during the 5 days of test cricket.
Some of the top test cricketers for South Africa over the years include Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, Allan Donald, Brian McMillan and Keppler Wessels.
T20 Cricket
T20 Cricket has been around since 2005 and is arguably the most popular form of cricket with the younger generation as it is fast-paced and the match gets over within 3.5 hours. This format has changed the way the overall game of cricket is played because the T20 impact has also rubbed off on ODI and Test cricket.
In T20 cricket, each side gets 20 overs to bat and bowl and the games generally take place late in the evening, under flood lights and with coloured clothing and lots of entertainment for the family. This fast paced format has been solely responsible for reaching a bigger demographic of cricket fans, especially women and children. Cricketers who can hit the ball out of the ground at will are considered good T20 players while bowlers who can restrict the batsmen to under 8 an over, are considered good in the T20 format.
Some of the top T20 cricketers for South Africa in the past include AB Devilliers, Faf Du Plessis, Quinton de Kock and Albie Morkel. Currently T20 specialists for South Africa include KG Rabada, Dewald Brevis and Aiden Markram.
The Top International Cricket Tournaments
The most popular ICC cricketing tournaments tend to attract huge amount of cricket betting from all over the world. The most popular ICC international tournaments are listed below.
ICC Cricket World Cup (ODI)
This tournament takes place once every 4 years and this is one reason why this tournament is so popular because of the 4 year gap. The ODI World Cup is hosted by different cricketing nations every four years and attracts fans and bettors from all over the world.
ICC T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup takes place every two years and is hosted by different cricketing nations for each edition. The T20 World Cup gives even the smaller cricketing nations are chance of advancing to the knockout stages and winning the World Cup as T20 cricket requires less skill than ODI or Test cricket.
Franchise T20 leagues
Domestic T20 leagues like the IPL, SAT20, and Big Bash League (BBL – Australia) take place each year and is a great showcase of both domestic and international talent. The IPL is the biggest and richest of all the T20 leagues in the world and cricket bettors get nearly 2 months of continuous daily betting action.
World Test Championship
The World Test Championship takes place once every two years and has been the most recent introduction in all ICC Championship tournaments. The ICC maintains a leaderboard over the course of two years, keeping track of points accumulated based on test wins. The top two teams end up playing the World Test Championship final at Lord’s England to see who wins the Test Mace.
Bilateral Series
Bilateral series take place throughout the year and a very popular as they usually combine all three formats as part of the series. If we look at a South Africa vs. Australia bilateral series, one year South Africa will tour Australia for a series of test, ODI and T20 games while the next year Australia will visit South Africa and play a similar series. These bilateral series offer a safer betting option because the home side tends to have an advantage of the touring side and the odds of them winning increase.
Popular Cricket Betting Markets
When you decide to start betting on cricket games you will find that there are a number of betting options available irrespective of whether you are betting on T20, ODI or test cricket. We give you a quick breakdown of what are some of the options you will come across and what exactly do they mean.
- Outright Winner / Series Winner: You will need to predict who will win the game or who will end up winning the series.
- Top Batsman or Bowler: You will need to pick the batsman you think will end up scoring the most runs in the game or the bowler who will end up with the most wickets at the end of the game.
- Most Catches: You will need to pick the player who will finish with the most catches. If it is a Test match or if the pitch is a bouncy pitch, a good option would be to pick the wicket-keeper.
- Coin Toss: Each game starts with a coin toss (heads/tails) and the probability is always 50/50. If you pick which team wins the coin toss, you win the bet.
- Man of the Match: You need to pick the player who will turn out to have the most influence on the game, affecting the outcome and giving their team a win.
- No. of 4s/6s: This option usually features in the T20 and ODI formats. You will need to pick the player you think will hit the most number of 4s or 6s in the game.
- First Innings Score: This is only available during Test match betting, and you need to choose an estimate of how many runs you think a team will make in their first innings.
- Player Performance Bets: You can sometimes bet on an individual player to finish with the man of the series award or the most runs or most wickets in the series.
- Live/In-Play Bets: In-play bets or live bets allow you to place bets while the game is underway. These bets can be riskier as the game can change with each ball or run scored.
Example: If South Africa are playing a T20 game against Australia and have 3 wickets in hand and 20 runs to score in 3 overs, the live betting odds should favour the Proteas. However, if they lose 2 wickets in 2 balls, the odds will dramatically swing in favour of the Aussies.
Calculating Betting Odds for Cricket Matches in South Africa
Depending on what sportsbook you decide to use, you will find cricket betting odds displayed in different formats which include fractional, decimal and American. We will look at decimal betting odds as all licensed sportsbook in South Africa offer decimal betting odds to South African bettors.
Decimal betting odds are pretty easy to read and the best way to explain them is for us to use an example.
If South Africa is playing India in a T20 game and the betting odds are 3.0 for South Africa and 1.5 for India, this is how you should calculate those betting odds.
If you place R50 on South Africa and they end up winning, you will get a payout of 3 x R50 = R150 whereas if you placed R40 on India winning and India win, you will get a payout of 1.5 x R50 = R75. If the team you bet on ends up losing, you lose the money you bet.
Betting odds are calculated based on several factors. Some of those factors include
- Is it a bilateral series or an ICC championship?
- Format of the game
- Is it a home game or an away game?
- Are the top players for each side available and injury free?
- Are the top players in form or out of form?
- What is the recent record of Wins vs. Losses for each team?
- What are the weather conditions?
All of this is taken into consideration before a sportsbook determines the odds for international cricket games. South African bettors have multiple sportsbooks to choose from and should take the time to compare the betting odds at different sportsbooks and then choose which one works best for them.
We have put together a list of the top sportsbooks that South African bettors can use to bet on cricket matches here.
How to Legally bet on cricket games in South Africa
Sports betting is legal in South Africa provided you are over the age of 18/19 depending on which province you are living in. You can choose any licensed sportsbook in South Africa and then follow these steps to make a bet on cricket matches. The betting industry in South Africa is regulated by the National Gambling Board (NGB).
- Select Your Sportsbook: You can do this by using a Google search and sorting through the different sports betting options. The easier way is to look at our list of featured sportsbooks as we have put together a detailed review of the pros and cons of playing at each sportsbook.
- Register an Account: Once you choose your sportsbook, hit the Register button and follow the steps to register an account and then verify your account by providing the required KYC documents.
- Make a Deposit: Once you have verified your account, choose which payment option you prefer to use and then go ahead and make a deposit. Some of the payment options available include credit cards, EFT, Ozow, and crypto.
- Cricket Betting: Look at the list of different sports on offer, choose cricket and then see what international and domestic cricket series and games are on offer. Choose the one you want to bet on, look at the odds, and then decide how much you want to bet.
- Monitor Your Bet: Once you place your bet, you can then follow the game online or watch it live on television and see if you bet correctly. If you win, your next step is to either withdraw your winnings or use them to place another bet.
Expert Cricket Betting Strategies to Boost Your Odds of Winning
There is always risk attached to betting, but you can significantly reduce those risks and increase your odds of winning at cricket betting if you use some of the advanced cricket betting strategies that we list below.
- Do Your Research: If you want to be successful at cricket betting, you must take the time to do your research. The best research is to follow your favourite team and watch all of their games so you are aware of their strengths and weaknesses. You can also read cricket news to get all of the latest updates on injuries, retirements, selection process, current form, and player stats.
- Bankroll Balancing: One of the keys to having a positive betting experience is to manage your bankroll and to know how much to bet, when to walk away, and not fall into chasing your losses.
- Pick Your Bets: Determine the level of risk you want to play with and then decide what cricket bets and odds you are willing to play with and avoid. If you want to play with low risk, pick bets with higher odds; alternatively, if you want to go high risk, pick bets with lower odds.
- Bonuses: Make use of betting bonuses and exclusive promotions to boost your bankroll and save you from reaching into your bank account.
- Cashing Out: Decide before you bet that you will look to cash out if you win a certain bet or make a certain amount and then stick to that decision.
Live Betting on Cricket Matches
Live betting can be safer or riskier depending on how you want to look at things. It is safer because you can have a look at the current condition of the game and then place your bet instead of determining before the start of the game how things will turn out.
It is riskier because the game of cricket can turn on its head in the space of one ball or one over. If you want to engage in live betting, make sure you are watching the game live on TV or if you are following an online cricket stream or scorecard, understand that it is usually delayed for a few seconds deliberately.
Live betting is more exciting, and it will take you some time to get used to as you need to manage the adrenalin rush of watching or following the game and also monitoring your live cricket bet.
Cricket Bonuses and Promo Offers
When you sign-up at any of our recommended sportsbooks, you will have the option to choose from a number of different welcome bonuses and regular bonuses. We list some of them below.
- Welcome Bonus: Many sportsbooks will offer a free bonus in the form of bonus cash money that will be credited to your account on registration. You can use this bonus money to place cricket bets.
- Deposit Match Bonuses: These bonuses usually give you a percentage bonus on your deposit. If it is a 100% match deposit bonus and you deposit R500, then you will get an additional R500 into your account.
- Cashback on Losses: Some of our featured sportsbooks offer cashback on your weekly or daily losses to enable bettors to recover some of their funds.
- Multi-Bet Bonuses: If you are willing to bet on more than one cricket bet to boost your odds, the sportsbook will throw in some extra bonuses to boost your bankroll or cashback.
Whatever bonuses or promos you claim, we advise you to always take the time to read the terms and conditions carefully. Some of the info that you should be looking out for are wagering requirements, deposit limits, withdrawal limits, withdrawal timeframes and payment options.
Responsible Cricket Betting Tips
We put together 5 betting tips to help you with your cricket betting.
- Choose a reliable sportsbook, we recommend selecting one of our featured sportsbooks.
- Use good bankroll management to protect yourself always.
- Take the time to do your research before you place cricket bets.
- If you feel you are not in control of your betting, check out the responsible gambling section and use self-exclusion tools.
- If required, get in touch with the SA National Responsible Gambling Programme.
FAQ on Cricket Betting
Yes, since betting is legal in South Africa you can bet on the IPL.
No, you will not face any legal problems as long as you bet with a licensed sportsbook in South Africa.
We suggest you take a look at some of our featured list of sportsbooks and then decide which sportsbook you feel most comfortable betting with.
The odds for T20s, ODIs, and Tests keep changing based on the teams, conditions and ICC tournament. T20 games offer faster betting action and is great for in-play betting.
The best way to boost your odds of winning is to do your research, use the advanced cricket tips we have outlined above and bet responsibly.