Cricket betting is placing bets on a match, a series, a team's runs or a player's runs and wickets, usually at fixed odds with a bookmaker licensed in an Australian state or territory. Online, each bet has to go on before the event begins. A Test can be drawn, and a tied one-day or T20 international goes to a super over under the ICC's standard men's conditions.
Rain can shorten a match, reset the target by the DLS method or leave no result, and each of those settles differently by market. Each online bookmaker sets those settlements in its own terms. The NSW rule book for bookmakers authorised to take bets on sport is one public version, cited clause by clause, so you can check your own bookmaker's terms against it.
Cricket betting explained: how each format changes the bet
International cricket has three formats, each with standard rules in the ICC's men's playing conditions, effective from October 2026, and domestic competitions such as the Big Bash League (BBL) write their own. The format decides how many results a match can have, what a level score means and what rain does.
| Format | Length | Can it be drawn? | If the scores finish level | Rain or bad light |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | Two innings a side, scheduled over five days | Yes: a match not won or tied is a draw | A tie needs every innings completed with the scores level | No revised target: lost time makes a draw more likely |
| One-day international (ODI) | One innings a side, up to 50 overs | No | A super over, repeated until there is a winner | DLS target; a result needs both sides to have had the chance to face 20 overs |
| T20 international | One innings a side, up to 20 overs | No | A super over, repeated until there is a winner | DLS target; a result needs both sides to have had the chance to face 5 overs |
| BBL | 20 overs a side, under Cricket Australia's playing conditions | No | Set by that season's playing conditions | Set by that season's playing conditions |
Clauses 13 and 16 of the ICC's Test, ODI and T20I playing conditions set those rules, and the ICC publishes separate conditions for four-day Tests.
Reading a three-way Test market
Because a Test can end with neither side winning, its match market prices three results.
Example: a Test priced at $2.05 for Team A, $3.40 for the draw and $3.75 for Team B. Illustrative prices, not a real match.
| Result | Price | Implied chance | Chance with the margin removed | A $50 bet returns ($50 x price) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team A | $2.05 | 48.78% | 46.52% | $102.50 |
| Draw | $3.40 | 29.41% | 28.05% | $170.00 |
| Team B | $3.75 | 26.67% | 25.43% | $187.50 |
| Market total | 104.86% | 100.00% |
Implied chance = 1 / price, so the three add up to 104.86%. Dividing each by 1.0486, the multiplicative method, takes the margin out in proportion (other methods take more off the longer prices).
With the margin out, the prices give the draw about a 28% chance, and a $50 bet on Team A loses the whole stake if the match is drawn. The fair odds calculator runs the same sum on any market of 2 to 30 prices when you choose its multiplicative method.
Before the first ball, the forecast, the pitch and the chance of the follow-on being enforced all bear on the draw price. Under clause 14 of the ICC Test conditions, a side batting first that leads by at least 200 runs can make its opponent bat again straight away. Test cricket betting covers declarations, first-innings markets and conditions.
One-day and T20 matches cannot be drawn, so their match market has two outcomes, and the open questions are ties and rain. T20 cricket betting covers powerplays, the toss and venue effects in the shortest format.
Cricket betting markets and what decides each one
Each cricket market asks its own question, so each has its own settlement point to check before you bet.
| Market | What you are betting on | The settlement point to check | Covered in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Match result | Which side wins, plus the draw in a Test | Whether a tie counts the super over | Head to head betting |
| Top batter | Who scores the most runs for a team or in the match | Dead heats, and which innings count | Top batter betting |
| Top bowler | Who takes the most wickets | Tie-breaks and dead heats | Top bowler betting |
| Player runs | Over or under a line, or milestones such as 50 or 100 | What happens if the player does not bat | Player runs betting |
| Innings and match runs | A team's total, or both teams' combined | What happens when overs are cut | Cricket total runs betting |
| Line (handicap) | One side to win by more, or lose by fewer, than a set number of runs | How a chase won by wickets counts against a runs line | Line betting explained |
| Powerplay runs | Runs in the fielding-restriction overs at the start of an innings | How many overs the powerplay lasts | Powerplay overs |
| Fall of first wicket and opening partnership | The score when the first wicket falls | What happens if no wicket falls | Fall of first wicket and opening partnership |
| Method of dismissal | How a named batter, or the first wicket of an innings, is out | Not out and retired hurt | Method of dismissal |
| Series and tournament winner | A series result, including a drawn series, or a competition winner | Abandoned matches and finals formats | Ashes betting |
A top batter market comes in two versions, top team batter and top match batter, and a Test version may cover the first innings only, so check which one a price belongs to.
The powerplay is not one fixed length either. In a T20 international it is the first 6 overs, with only two fielders allowed outside the fielding circle (ICC T20I conditions, clause 28.7). The BBL sets its own, so check that season's playing conditions before you bet on powerplay runs.
Ties and super overs: one result, several settlements
A tie is where cricket's rule books differ most. Under the ICC's standard men's ODI and T20I conditions, a tie goes to a super over, in which each side faces one six-ball over (clause 16.3.1.1 and Appendix F). If that is tied too, more super overs follow until there is a winner, and if they cannot be completed, the match stays a tie.
Whether your bet follows the super over depends on the rule that governs the market. The NSW Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules, made under the Betting and Racing Act 1998 (NSW), apply to bookmakers authorised in NSW to take bets on sport. They leave the super over out of every Twenty20 betting option, match betting included, unless otherwise stated (clause 5.2.2.3(h)). The match then settles as a tie, and their general tie clauses set the payout.
One-day matches go the other way. The result takes in any contingency needed to find a winner, so a one-day match bet follows the super over (clause 5.1.2), unless the market offered a tie price, in which case bets on either side lose (clause 5.1.7).
Example: $40 on Team A at $1.90 in a head to head, a face value of $40 x 1.90 = $76. The scores finish level and Team A wins the super over. Illustrative price, not a real match.
| Format and market | Rule (NSW) | The $40 bet returns | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-day match, no tie price offered | Super over counts (5.1.2) | $76.00 | +$36.00 |
| Twenty20, no tie price offered | Super over excluded (5.2.2.3(h)), so a dead heat: $76 / 2 (5.1.8) | $38.00 | -$2.00 |
| Either format, tie price offered | Bets on either side lose (5.1.7) | $0.00 | -$40.00 |
Tests have their own clause. If a Test is tied, the NSW rules pay bets on either team at half their face value and make draw bets losers (clause 5.2.2.4(f)). The $50 on Team A at $2.05 in the Test example would return $102.50 / 2 = $51.25.
Note: The NSW clauses, checked in October 2026, bind NSW-authorised bookmakers only. Online bookmakers publish their own tie rules: read the cricket section of your bookmaker's terms before you bet.
Dead heats in top batter and top bowler markets
Ties are part of player markets. Two batters can finish on the same score, and bowlers can share a wicket count because the counts stay small. In a T20 international no bowler may bowl more than four overs, and in an ODI no more than 10 (clause 13.9.1 of each set of ICC conditions).
Where a market offers no tie price, the NSW rules pay the face value divided by the number of players level on top (clause 5.1.8). With an illustrative price, $15 on a batter at $7.00 who ties with one other returns $15 x 7.00 / 2 = $52.50, not $105.
Top bowler markets add a tie-break in some bookmakers' terms: the bowler who conceded fewer runs wins, and the dead heat applies only if they are still level. Other terms go straight to the dead heat, so two bowlers level on three wickets can pay in full under one set of terms and at half under another. Dead heat rules shows how to read a dead heat clause in any sport.
The same NSW rules say when these markets are refunded rather than lost. In a one-day or T20 match, top batter and top bowler bets are void if no official result is declared (clause 5.2.2.3(b) to (e)). Top bowler bets are also void unless a bowler takes at least one wicket (clause 5.2.2.3(d) and (e)), and under the Laws of Cricket a run out is not credited to the bowler (Law 38.6).
A batter who never bats is not a refund under those clauses, because the market settles on the most runs whether or not every batter faced a ball. Rules on a player left out of the XI differ by bookmaker, and player did not play rules sets out the common types.
Rain, DLS and no results
When rain hits a one-day or T20 match, the overs are cut, and the side batting second gets a revised target set by the DLS method (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern). The target is always a whole number, and finishing one run short of it is a tie (ICC ODI and T20I conditions, clause 16.4).
A result needs both sides to have had the chance to face 20 overs in an ODI, or 5 in a T20 international (clause 16.1.2). The exceptions are a side bowled out sooner or a chase won sooner. Otherwise the match is a no result (clause 16.1.3).
Each market has its own clause for cut overs, so one shower can settle three bets on the same match three ways. Under the NSW rules:
| Market | When overs are cut |
|---|---|
| Head to head | The official result, DLS included, stands once 20 overs (one-day) or 5 (Twenty20) are completed (5.2.2.3(a)) |
| Team innings runs | Settled on the runs actually scored, so a line set for a full innings is measured over fewer overs (5.2.2.3(g)) |
| Top batter and top bowler | The most runs or wickets across the revised overs, if an official result is declared (5.2.2.3(b) to (e)) |
Online bookmakers' terms can settle runs bets differently. A common alternative voids an innings or player runs bet when the overs are cut by more than a stated amount after it was placed, unless the bet was already decided.
Three more NSW clauses matter. If a one-day or T20 match falls short of its minimum overs, every bet not already decided is void (5.2.2.3(a)). If not one ball is bowled, every bet on the match is void (5.2.2.1(a)). Where play moves to a reserve day, bets not yet decided carry over to it (5.2.2.3(f)).
Cricket rain rules works through no results, abandonments and reduced overs market by market, and the rules for abandoned and postponed matches compare the rule types across sports.
The BBL and the Australian summer
Australia's summer packs every format into a few months. As published by Cricket Australia and checked in October 2026, the main men's fixtures of the 2026-27 home summer are:
| Dates | Cricket | Format |
|---|---|---|
| From 13 November 2026 | ODIs and T20 internationals against England | ODI and T20I |
| 9 December 2026 to 8 January 2027 | Four Tests against New Zealand: Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne from Boxing Day, then Sydney | Test |
| 12 December 2026 to 26 January 2027 | The BBL: 44 matches including the finals, starting in Chennai, India; the top four play a four-match finals series from 19 January | T20, under BBL conditions |
| From 11 March 2027 | The 150th Anniversary Test against England at the MCG, a day-night match | Test |
For BBL|16, Cricket Australia has announced three playing conditions that bear on betting:
- The four-over powerplay at the start of each innings and the two-over Power Surge, which the batting side calls later in the innings, both continue.
- An over-rate clock of 84 minutes for 20 overs: if the fielding side runs out of time, powerplay fielding restrictions apply for the rest of the innings (announced 31 August 2026).
- An optional designated batter and designated fielder, named before the bat flip (announced 14 July 2026). The designated batter bats but does not field or bowl; the designated fielder takes that player's place in the field and can keep wicket but not bowl.
Each one reaches the markets. More overs under fielding restrictions can lift innings totals, a designated batter takes no wickets in a top bowler market, and the team sheets confirmed at the bat flip decide who bats.
Cricket Australia's schedule release of 13 July 2026 also said Australia's all-format players are unlikely to feature in BBL|16, with the Test squad heading to India straight after the New Zealand series. Check the playing conditions again before each season; the BBL betting guide covers the finals, overseas players and rain in the BBL.
How to bet on cricket in Australia
To bet on cricket in Australia, you must be 18 or over. You then choose a licensed bookmaker, read the rule that settles your market, check the conditions and place the bet before the first ball. In order:
- Use a bookmaker licensed in an Australian state or territory: search its trading name on ACMA's register of licensed interactive gambling providers and match the website. Offering online sports betting to people in Australia without that licence is an offence under the Interactive Gambling Act (s 15AA), and customers of offshore betting sites lose Australian protections.
- Choose the format and the market, then find its rule in the cricket section of your bookmaker's terms. Check whether a match bet counts the super over, what cut overs do to runs bets, how ties for top batter and top bowler pay, and what happens to a player who does not bat.
- Check the conditions. The pitch, the forecast and the toss (a bat flip in the BBL) all move prices, and under the ICC's conditions each captain names the team before the toss (clause 1.2.1). The cricket betting strategy guide turns these into a method.
- Turn the price into a chance: implied probability = 1 / decimal odds, so $2.50 implies 40%. How betting odds work covers margins and the rest of the maths.
- Compare the same bet across bookmakers once their settlement rules match. On a licensed betting exchange you can also back or lay at prices other punters set, as betting exchanges in Australia explains.
- Place the bet before the first ball. Online, an Australian provider may take a sports bet only if it is placed and accepted before the event begins (Interactive Gambling Act 2001, s 8A(3) and s 10B), as the in-play betting rules explain.
- Stake inside your limits: set a deposit limit with your bookmaker and never bet to win back a loss. Record each price you take, so you can check it against the closing price, which closing line value explains.
Mistakes that cost cricket punters money
With the illustrative prices from the worked examples:
| Mistake | What it costs | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Backing a team in a Test as if it were a two-way game | The example prices gave the draw about a 28% chance, and $50 on Team A at $2.05 loses all $50 on a draw | Price all three results before you bet |
| Assuming a T20 tie is settled by the super over | Where the super over is excluded and no tie price was offered, $40 at $1.90 returns $38 even if Team A wins the super over | Read how your market treats a tie |
| Taking an innings runs over without reading the reduced-overs rule | Under a rule that settles on the runs scored, an over bet on a line set for a full innings loses its whole stake when the cut innings falls short | Read the reduced-overs clause before any runs bet on a wet day |
| Counting a top batter tie as a full win | $15 at $7.00 tied two ways returns $52.50, not $105 | Allow for dead heats when you price the market |
| Reading a batting average as a typical score | Not-outs and one big innings can lift an average well above what a batter makes in a typical innings | Look at the spread of recent scores |
When to skip a cricket bet
- Skip a pre-match innings or player runs bet when rain is forecast and your bookmaker settles a shortened innings on the runs actually scored.
- Skip a T20 top bowler bet you have not priced for dead heats: with at most four overs each, bowlers can easily finish level on one or two wickets.
- Skip any bet placed to win back an earlier loss.
Risk: Betting involves risk. Avoiding these mistakes does not make a bet more likely to win, and a bet whose rules you have read can still lose. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
Comparing cricket prices across bookmakers
Two cricket prices are only comparable when the bets settle the same way. A head to head that counts the super over is a different bet from one that excludes it. An innings runs bet that is void on reduced overs carries less rain risk than one settled on the runs scored. Line up the rules first, then the prices.
Once the rules match, the price is the whole difference. With illustrative prices on the same side of the same market, $30 x 1.80 = $54 and $30 x 1.90 = $57.
Where a cricket match is on B337's Terminal, its sports board puts each bookmaker's head to head price in its own column, with player props where bookmakers offer them. The board names AFL, NRL, NBA, soccer, tennis and more, whenever bookmakers have markets up, so check the match is there; it does not carry every cricket market either, so check that the one you want is on the board. The best available price on each selection is picked out, and matching the settlement rules stays your job.
Across racing and sports the Terminal shows prices from 40+ bookmakers beside Betfair back and lay, with price history (flucs). The odds comparison page shows where the prices come from. Not every bookmaker prices every game, and out of season there is little or nothing to compare. Prices are read on a repeating cycle, so a price on screen can trail the bookmaker's own: confirm it in your bookmaker account before you bet.
A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds. B337 is software, not a bookmaker: it does not take bets, set prices or hold your money. Bookmaker and exchange names are trade marks of their owners, and B337 is not affiliated with any of them.
For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
Risk: Betting involves risk. A bet struck at the top price still loses if your side does, a tie or a shared top score can halve what it returns, and a shower can void it. Prices can move before your bet is accepted, and there is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.