Cricket Betting Guide for Nigerian Punters 2024

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Online sports betting is slowly gaining momentum in Nigeria. While online betting is more popular in the USA and the UK, Nigeria is catching up in the game. Amazingly, it is now one of the fastest-growing online gambling markets in the world! With all of these new punters and bettors showing up to the scene, they often ask the question, “What game should I bet on?” While this decision is yours entirely, there are some popular betting options for Nigerians. One such option is cricket betting. Cricket has been an all-time favourite sport in Nigeria as well as across the whole continent of Africa. Our focus for today is solely cricket betting and all there is to know about this insanely popular method of gambling.

If this sounds interesting to you, keep on reading!

The Best Nigerian Cricket Betting Sites

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Which Matches Are Worth Betting On in Nigeria?

There are some types of cricket matches that are played across the world. Among them, the most common choices for betting are Test Matches, Three and Four Day matches and One-day cricket. Let’s talk about each of these matches quickly before continuing this betting guide.

Test Matches

A test match is played between two countries and is spread over a period of 5 days. This type of cricket match has been played since the late 19^th century and is still popular to this day. Some common countries to partake in test matches are Australia, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Pakistan, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Teams from all over the world play test cricket and this means you can also bet on these matches all year-round.

Three and Four Day Matches

Three and four-day matches are played between countries and states all over the world. In England, their version of this match is called the County Championship. This championship is split into two divisions and games are played over the course of 4 days.

You can bet on these matches and on other local leagues from anywhere in the world, including Nigeria.

One-Day Cricket

One-day cricket matches have been popular since the 1960s. Initially, the teams were allocated 50 overs each and had 1 day to complete the match, rather than having several days. Over the years, more and more one-day tournaments have been introduced all over the world.

Any match that is played with fifty overs can be considered a one-day cricket match. Punters can place their bets on famous matches like the ICC World Cup or T20 matches that have 50 overs.

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Which Matches Are Important For Cricket Betting?

Internationally, there are some matches that are better for Nigerian punters to bet on. These are widely recognized matches with international players and teams. The stakes run high with these matches, so the chance of winning big is also present.

Let’s explore some of the matches and how they are important for cricket betting.

ICC Cricket World Cup

The ICC Cricket World Cup is one of the most popular cricket events in the world. It is a flagship event that is governed by the sport’s international governing body. There are preliminary qualification rounds that lead to a finals match. Each year, a different country hosts this massive tournament.

T20 World Cup

This tournament is held every two years and is the international championship of Twenty20 International cricket. The event consists of 16 teams with the top 10 teams from the world rankings. The other 6 teams are decided by the T20 World Cup qualifiers.

Indian Premier League

The Indian Premier League, or IPL in short, is a T20 cricket league that takes place in India. It is played by the 8 teams that represent the different cities in the country. The teams comprise of both international and Indian players. This event is the 6^th most well-attended sports league in the world!

The Ashes

The Ashes is a test cricket series played between Australia and England. This goes back to 1877 and is still popular to this day. The Ashes series has five Tests which are hosted by each country every 2 years. In case the test series is tied, the team that currently has the Ashes gets to keep the trophy.

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The Odds in Cricket Betting

Odds are one of the important things to consider with cricket betting. Betting odds can truly make or break your betting strategy. Thus, it’s always important to choose a betting site that gives you the best odds.

Cricket betting odds works like any other sports betting odds. Higher odds indicate that an event is less likely to occur, whereas, lower odds indicate an event will more likely occur. Odds help you understand your potential winnings from placing a bet. Thus, being able to read and understand odds is very important for cricket betting.

In cricket betting, there are mainly two types of formats that are more prominently used, fractional odds and decimal odds. Fractional odds are displayed as fractions and will look something like 4/1, 6/4 or 2/1. The first number denotes the amount you will win if you wager the second number. To calculate your potential winnings, all you have to do is multiply your bet amount by the first number. Then, you need to add the amount you initially wagered to this amount. For example, if you bet ₦ 1000 at odds of 2/1, you will win a total of ₦ 3000.

Let’s now move on to decimal odds. Decimal odds work very simply and are one the most popular ways of displaying odds. With this method, the odds are displayed with decimal points, like 3.00 or 1.5. To calculate your potential winnings with these odds all you need to do is multiply your bet with the decimal number. For example, if you bet ₦ 1000 at odds of 3.00, you will win ₦ 3000. Your wagered amount is included in the odds so you don’t have to add that back.

Finding the Best Odds

When settling on the best odds, remember to compare them across different betting sites. Look at the odds from the best cricket betting sites in Nigeria and make a choice. If you aren’t sure about the presentation of the odds, just use the on-site converter to display them in a way you find suitable.

Short Term and Long Term Betting

When placing your bet with the best odds, also take into account if your bet is long-term or short-term. Short-term bets can allow for quick wins and payouts and are only applicable to small matches.

On the other hand, long-term betting is when you bet on longer events that happen over the course of a few days. We will explain these terminologies more as we go so don’t worry at all and keep on reading!

The Odds Range in Cricket Betting

Cricket betting odds change with the type of tournament, the player’s conditions, weather, past records and past injuries. These odds are set by the bookmaker and vary from site to site. This is why comparing odds from different betting sites is always the best idea.

Currently, in Betway, the best odds are ranging between 1.02 to 1.67. Odds higher than these are ranging from 2.05 all the way to even 11.00. Netherland isn’t looking at good odds in the upcoming match with New Zealand in the upcoming International ODI. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians are looking to have better odds against the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL match.

These odds were collected at the time of writing this article and are subject to changes in time. As we said, many events change odds and thus, you need to carefully keep an eye on them before placing your pet.

What Bets Can You Place?

There are many types of bets you can place in cricket betting. Some of the most common types of betting include match betting, completed match, tied match, top bowler, innings run, top batsman and much more.

You can place a single bet or you can multiple bets. There are also accumulator bets which consist of a selection.

Betting types are also closely connected to the betting markets, which we will get into a bit later. Some types of bets are riskier but promise a bigger payout while others have comparatively less risk with a smaller payout.

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Betting Markets for Nigerian Cricket Betting

To get started with betting on cricket, you need to know how to choose a betting market. The betting market will be specific to the sport at hand and can vary from one betting site to the other.

Some of the common betting markets are widely prevalent in Nigeria and are therefore, available on most reputable online sportsbooks. Let’s illustrate a few examples to make things clearer.

• Match Winner

This is the most straightforward betting market. In this type of betting, you are wagering an amount based on which team you think will come out victorious in the match. This can be applicable for T20 or ODIs.

• Coin Toss

Another common cricket betting market is placing a bet on the coin toss. You simply wager an amount based on who you think will win the coin toss that occurs at the beginning of the match.

• Top Batsman

This type of cricket betting market asks the punter to place a bet on whom they think is the top batsman of the match. This will be the individual who scores the most runs in the match. This can also be in the form of Home Top Batsman, Away Top Batsman and Team Top Batsman.

• Top Bowler

Just like the Top Batsman, you can also place a bet on who you think will be the top bowler in a match. This is the player who got the most wickets while allowing the least runs in the match. This can also be in the form of Home Top Bowler, Away Top Bowler and Team Top Bowler.

• Man of the Match

Another popular betting market in cricket is the Man of the Match. This is the individual who is declared to have performed the best in the whole match. It can be from either team or country.

Short-Term Betting in Cricket

We briefly touched upon this before, but let’s get into a bit more detail. Short-term betting is when you place a bet on events that happen in a small amount of time. For cricket betting, placing a bet on the Coin Toss could be referred to as a short-term bet.

With short-term bets, you get quicker outcomes and don’t have to wait long to figure out the likelihood of an event. While there is a decreased risk factor, you may not get to enjoy bigger payouts.

With short-term betting, you can participate in live betting as these events occur live. But we’ll get into that a bit later.

Long-Term Betting in Cricket

On the other hand, long-term betting is as the name suggests, is a bet that is spread over a longer time. This mainly means that the outcome of your bet will be announced after the whole event has been completed.

An example of long-term betting in cricket could be if you place your bet on the Match Winner of the ICC World Cup Finals. With long-term betting, you can get higher payouts and winnings but with an increased risk.

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Live-Betting in Cricket Betting

By far, cricket is one of the best sports to bet on live or in-play. As the sport is very popular, there are many markets available that offer this option of betting. With live betting, you can place your bets as a live match or game is going on.

The odds are updated and changed with every move in the game and give bettors a thrill like no other! Some good online sportsbooks will cover both local and international matches in Nigeria so be sure to seek those out.

Also, with live betting, you can settle your bets in real-time, meaning you don’t have to wait till the match is over to get paid out.

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FAQs for Cricket Betting

Now, let’s look at some of the frequently asked questions regarding cricket betting in Nigeria.

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The Stars of Cricket

The world of cricket has shed light on some of the most iconic players in the world. These are players from across the world who play both in their local leagues as well as international matches.

Ben Strokes

Ben Strokes is an English cricketer and is among the best cricketers in the world. He is currently the vice-captain of the England Test team and plays for the England ODI and T20 International teams. He became the first England player to be titled Wisden’s Leading Cricketer in the World more than once.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is an international cricketer from India and former captain of the Indian National Cricket team. He now plays for Delhi in local cricket and in the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

He captained the India cricket team in over 200 matches across all 3 formats. Kohli has had a total of 40 wins out of 68 matches, making him the most successful test captain in Indian history.

Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan is a Bangladeshi cricketer and the former captain of the Bangladesh National Cricket team. He plays for Barishal in local cricket. He plays as an All-rounder and was the first player from Bangladesh to get selected into the IPL. He is presently ranked as #1 All-rounder in ODI Cricket.

Stafanie Roxann Taylor

Stafanie Roxann Taylor is a Jamaican player and is the current captain of the West Indies women’s cricket team. She is widely regarded as the greatest female batsman of all time and was named the ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year in 2011. She is the first woman to ever score 1000 runs for the West Indies in ODI cricket.

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The Best Teams in Cricket

There are many variations to teams in cricket. The type of match to be played will determine the setup of the team. Even so, there are some national cricket teams that stand out from the rest and have some of the best players to date.

Let’s explore some of these teams below.

India National Cricket Team

The India National Cricket Team is known to be one of the best cricket teams in cricket history. In 2011, they had players like Sachin, Sehwag, Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh. The team won the 2011 World Cup. The current captain of the team is Rohit Sharma and their Coaches include Rahul Dravis, Bharat Arun and Ramakrishnan Sridhar.

Australia Men’s Cricket Team

Australia Men’s Cricket Team is the most successful team in the ODI cricket history. They have won more than 60% of their played matches and have a record of 7 World Cup Final appearances. They have won the World Cup 5 times. The current team is captained by Pat Cummins and Aaron Finch. Their coach is Justin Langer.

England Cricket Team

Another notable mention is the England Cricket Team. This team has played in 148 T20Is and won 77 of them. The team were runners-up in 2016 and won the ICC World Cup in 2010. The team is captained by Joe Root and Eoin Morgan. Some of the best players in the team include Ben Strokes, Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root.

New Zealand National Cricket Team

The New Zealand National Cricket team have played in 1390 international matches, of which they won 541. The team is #3 in Tests, 1^st in the ODIs and 4^th in T20Is as per the ICC. The team is captained by Kane Williamson and is coached by Gary Stead. Some of the best players in the team include Ross Taylor, Tom Latham and Kane Williamson.

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