Cricket Betting Explained: Test, ODI and T20 Markets

Cricket is played in several formats that last anywhere from about three hours to five days, and each format changes what a bet means. This guide explains the formats, the main markets, how a draw alters Test match prices, and what happens when rain or a tie intervenes. It is written for adults in the UK, USA, Ireland, Canada and Australia, and it is educational only.

It does not recommend teams, players or bets, and no market makes winning likely. Every price carries a margin, so over time most people who bet lose money. For general background, see how sports betting works.

The formats and why they matter for betting

• Test cricket: up to five days, with each side batting and bowling twice. A match can end in a win for either side or a draw if time runs out.
• One-day internationals (ODI): 50 overs for each side in a single innings. A result is almost always reached, but a tie is possible.
• Twenty20 (T20): 20 overs for each side, usually finished in a few hours. This format includes franchise leagues such as the Big Bash in Australia.
• The Hundred: an English competition where each side faces 100 balls instead of overs.

Format determines markets. A draw is a real result in Tests, so Test match odds have three outcomes. In limited-overs cricket there are normally two. A tied limited-overs match can be settled by a super over, but how a bet treats a tie depends on the operator’s rules.

Match odds and the draw

A Test match market has three prices: home win, draw and away win. A worked example shows the margin. Suppose the decimal prices are 1.90, 3.40 and 4.50.

• Home win at 1.90: 1 divided by 1.90 is 52.63%.
• Draw at 3.40: 29.41%.
• Away win at 4.50: 22.22%.
• Total: 104.27%. The extra 4.27 points are the margin.

Weather and pitch conditions can make a draw more or less likely, and prices change as play progresses. A “draw no bet” market removes the draw and refunds your stake if the match is drawn, though the prices on the two remaining outcomes carry their own margin. The odds formats guide explains how to convert fractional and American prices to the decimal form used here.

Runs and innings markets

Many cricket bets focus on runs rather than who wins.

• Innings runs (totals): the bookmaker sets a line, such as 290.5, and you bet over or under for a team’s innings.
• Session runs: in Tests, a day is split into sessions, and some markets use runs scored in a session.
• Runs at the fall of the first wicket: a short-term market that is settled quickly.
• Team total in T20: a line on the runs scored in 20 overs, which can swing sharply with a fast start.

These markets resemble over/under goals betting in football, but cricket scoring has a much larger range. A single batter who stays in can change a total, and a collapse of wickets can cut it short.

Player markets

Player markets include top batter and top bowler for a team or match, a batter’s runs over or under a line, and the method of dismissal for the first wicket. They often carry larger margins than match odds.

Top batter is a good example of why. A team has eleven players. The prices of all eleven add up to well over 100%, because the bookmaker’s margin is applied to each outcome. The more runners in a market, the more places the margin can sit. As an illustration only, if the implied chances of every top-batter price add up to 125%, the market has a 25-point built-in margin. Rules about players who do not bat, or about dead heats when two batters tie, vary by operator.

Rain, ties and interruptions

Weather often matters in cricket. In limited-overs cricket, interruptions are usually handled by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which adjusts the target. Operators set their own rules about whether a bet stands, is voided or is settled on the official result. Some require a minimum number of overs for markets such as innings runs. In Tests, rain can reduce the time available and raise the chance of a draw, which is already reflected in a three-way price.

Always read the market rules before betting. The same match can be settled differently on different sites, particularly for ties, abandoned matches and shortened games.

Rules by country

• United Kingdom: Cricket betting is offered by operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. You must be 18 or over, and GAMSTOP covers UK-licensed online sites.
• United States: Regulation is state by state, and sports betting is legal in most states. Cricket markets are offered less widely than American sports and availability varies by operator. The minimum age is 21 in most places and 18 in some.
• Ireland: Cricket markets are available from licensed bookmakers, with betting regulation moving to the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 regime. The minimum age is 18, and there is no national self-exclusion register yet.
• Canada: Single-event sports betting has been legal since August 2021, and provinces set the rules, so cricket availability varies. The age is 19 in most provinces and 18 in Alberta, Manitoba and Quebec.
• Australia: Licensed bookmakers can offer cricket wagering to adults aged 18 and over. BetStop is the national self-exclusion register, and credit cards are banned for licensed online wagering. Online casino games are prohibited for people in Australia.

The bottom line

Cricket markets are shaped by format. A draw adds a third outcome to Test prices, rain can change settlement, and player markets with many runners carry big margins. Understanding these features helps you read a market, but it does not remove the margin or make results predictable. Set a limit first, use the spend tracker, and consider self-exclusion if gambling stops being fun.

Sources

• Duckworth-Lewis-Stern explained (icc-cricket.com)
• How the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method works (espn.com)
• Super Over rules and tie-breakers (wikipedia.org)
• Single-event sports betting in Canada (agco.ca)
• BetStop, the National Self-Exclusion Register (lifeline.org.au)

18+ only (21 in most US states, 19 in most Canadian provinces for casino and betting). Gambling can be addictive. Free, confidential help is available: Great Britain: England and Scotland 0808 8020 133, Wales 0808 2819 265 (free, 24 hours), and GAMSTOP (gamstop.co.uk); US: National Problem Gambling Helpline 1-800-MY-RESET (the older 1-800-522-4700 also works); Australia: Gambling Help Online 1800 858 858 and BetStop (betstop.gov.au); Ontario, Canada: ConnexOntario 1-866-531-2600; Ireland: speak to your GP or the HSE. Never gamble money you need for living costs.