Cricket is still not very well-known in Tanzania, but it is fast becoming well-known worldwide. The major cricket competitions are held in the UK, Australia, Canada, in Asia, and among the Gulf nations. For bettors willing to place a bet, ICC cricket tournament odds are a better option for betting on high-level competition and challenging their analytical mind.
Bookmakers offer cricket betting in live and pre-match options, and live bets account for approximately 70% of total volume.
Basic Rules of Cricket
Cricket is a team sport that is played using a ball and bat but is a non-contact sport.
The game's rules have been changing and codifying since the later half of the 18th century by the Marylebone Cricket Club, which was established in London in 1787. The rulebook outlines the etiquette of the game along with the match setup, e.g., field and equipment size, team size, the number of umpires, scoring mechanisms, etc.
The Field
The matches are held on a 130–150-meter-long oval piece of grass. In the middle is a rectangular area of earth called the pitch.
The ends of the pitch are divided into sections by the crease lines.
Perpendicular to the short ends of the pitch, the bowling and popping creases are drawn 120 cm and 240 cm away from them, respectively.
The bowling crease contains a wicket: three vertical wood stumps with two unhinged bails placed on them.
The popping crease is the line between the wicket space and the middle running space.
There are the return creases, 240 cm long, along both of the long sides of the pitch, that constitute the delivery lane of the bowler.
Game Overview
The objective of cricket is to score more runs than the opposition. The game is played using a cork ball wrapped in leather and wooden bats.
A few of the key player positions are:
- Bowler
- Batsman
- Wicket-keeper
The sides alternate batting and fielding. The bowling team fields with every player and opposes two batsmen from the opposition side.
The ball is rolled by the bowler from one side of the pitch to the batsman on the other side. The fielders attempt to catch the ball or field the ball in order to stop runs being scored. The bowler is replaced after six deliveries, and a new over begins.
The goal of the batsman is to hit the ball with the bat and run to the opposite end of the pitch to make runs. The batsman is out when the wicket falls or the ball is caught by a fielder prior to being hit on the ground. Boundary shots are also counted.
The wicket-keeper is behind the batsman, protecting the wicket and collecting missed deliveries. The wicket-keeper is the only one allowed to wear pads and gloves.
A match is played for one or two innings. The innings are decided beforehand or determined by tournament conditions. A single innings can either be time-restricted or over-restricted. An innings is over when 10 batsmen are out.
There are 6 deliveries per over. The final hour of a match should have a minimum of 20 overs; otherwise, play is extended by the umpire.
Key People in Cricket:
- Number of teams: 2
- Players per team: 11
- Dimensions of the wicket: 22.86 x 71 cm
- Diameter of the ball: 22.4–22.9 cm
- Weight of the ball: 155.9–163 g
- Bat dimensions: Maximum length of 97 cm and width of 10.8 cm
- Umpires: 2 for regular matches, 3 for big tournaments
- Scorers: 2 (also known as markers)
Game Features
A toss between the two captains is done prior to the game. The winner of the toss gets to choose whether to bat or bowl first for his team.
Substitution is possible in cricket, but the substitute player cannot participate in the major activity of batting, bowling, or wicket-keeping. He can run between the wickets for a batsman or on the field only.
A match duration differs based on the level of competition. A short one-inning match lasts around 3.5 hours, while international matches consume up to 30 hours over five consecutive days.
Follow-On Rule
Applied to multi-innings games, the rule provides the leader with the choice of reversing the order of batting. Teams will normally do this in the sequence: first–second–first–second. If the second team makes significantly fewer runs, the captain of the first team can declare a follow-on, reversing the order to: first–second–second–first.
The margin of runs needed for a follow-on depends on the length of the match:
- Short match: 75 runs
- Two-day match: 100 runs
- Three or four days: 150 runs
- Five-day match: 200 runs
Cricket match results are quantified by total runs and wickets lost.
How to Bet on Cricket
How to place a bet on cricket at a bookmaker:
- Sign up on the bookmaker's website
- Get verified
- Deposit funds
- Open cricket betting
- Select a match
- Add one or more markets to your betting slip
- Select bet type: single, accumulator, or system
- Enter your stake
- Accept the bet
The outcome of the bets is followed by the players on their account dashboard. The winnings are settled automatically after the match.
An Analyzing a Cricket Match
Key most important aspects professional bookmakers consider analyzing cricket matches regardless of format:
- Weather and climatic conditions – Ball travels faster in dry or high-altitude weather; rain interrupts play; cloudy weather retards the scoring; test matches are conducted under natural light alone.
- Home ground advantage – Players play well at home because of the support of fans and the comfort of knowing the conditions.
- Pitch surface – Hard pitch leads to swift ball bounce in favor of bowlers; slow, grassy pitches in favor of batsmen; worn pitches with unevenness causing ball flight to be difficult to predict.
- Player and team statistics – Head-to-head rivalry, batting and bowling strategy, performance record on the surface, and star player availability.
- Motivation – Psychological momentum is crucial; a first-match win often sparks a winning streak, especially at home.
