Cricket Betting in Australia — Overview
Cricket is one of the most heavily bet sports in Australia, and unlike footy codes it runs across three formats with very different betting dynamics. The Australian summer is packed with action: Test cricket from November to January, the Big Bash League (BBL) from December through late January, and ODI and T20 international series sprinkled through the year.
Most Australian-licensed corporate bookmakers post full cricket markets for domestic and international fixtures. Offshore sportsbooks that accept Australian players typically match or exceed that depth, particularly on side markets like method of dismissal and session runs. This guide covers formats, market types, and what to look for when picking a book for cricket punting. See our broader sports betting section for sportsbook rankings across all codes.
Top Cricket Betting Sites
Cricket Formats
Test Cricket
Test matches run over five days, with two innings per side. The most important thing to know from a betting standpoint is that the match draw is a real outcome — if rain, slow scoring, or dogged batting burns through the available overs without a result, the game ends drawn. That means match winner markets have three prices: home win, away win, and draw.
Series betting is also common. Australia plays series of two to five Tests against the major cricket nations, and marquee contests like The Ashes (vs England) and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (vs India) attract the heaviest volume. You can bet series winner, correct series score (e.g. “Australia 3-1”), and whether the series will end drawn.
One Day Internationals (ODIs)
ODIs are 50-over matches played in a single day — one innings per team, white ball, coloured clothing. Match-winner markets have two real outcomes (tied matches are rare and most books dead-heat them or use a Super Over rule). The ICC Cricket World Cup runs every four years and is the premier ODI tournament, with outright winner markets opening well in advance.
Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is)
T20s are 20 overs a side, typically done inside three hours. The format compresses everything — tiny margins decide matches, odds swing hard on every big over, and top-batter and top-bowler markets are volatile. The T20 World Cup runs roughly every two years.
Big Bash League (BBL)
The BBL is Australia’s domestic T20 competition — eight city-based franchises playing from mid-December through late January. It’s the peak of the domestic cricket betting calendar for Australian punters. Because squads rotate year to year and overseas player availability fluctuates, form-book angles often matter more than historical head-to-heads. Market depth at Australian-facing books is typically strong given it’s a local product.
Cricket Betting Markets
Match Winner
The headline market. Remember Test cricket carries three outcomes — if you’re new to betting on Tests, the draw price is not filler, it’s a real result that happens regularly in weather-affected games.
Top Batter / Top Bowler
Bet on which player will score the most runs (per innings or per match) or take the most wickets. Openers tend to be favoured for top-batter markets because they face the most balls; specialist bowlers with new-ball duty usually lead top-bowler pricing.
Total Runs (Over/Under)
Books offer team totals (runs scored by a specific side in their innings) and match totals. Pitch conditions, weather, and toss outcome all shift the line — worth checking the forecast before backing an over.
Method of Dismissal
A market on how the next wicket (or a nominated batter) will fall — caught, bowled, LBW, run out, stumped, or other. Caught is by a wide margin the most common dismissal in top-level cricket and usually the shortest price.
Series Outcome
For bilateral series and tournaments — outright winner, correct series score, whether the series will end drawn, and group/qualification markets for World Cups.
Ashes & Border-Gavaskar
For Australian cricket punters, two series sit above everything else.
The Ashes is Australia vs England in Test cricket, contested every two years (alternating home and away). It’s the oldest rivalry in the sport and the deepest market on the cricket calendar — outright series winner, correct series score, urn retention (the holder keeps the Ashes on a drawn series), and individual-match markets all run with strong liquidity.
The Border-Gavaskar Trophy is Australia vs India, typically a four or five Test series. India’s rise as a cricketing superpower has made this arguably the most competitive rivalry in modern Test cricket, with tight series prices and heavy bookmaker attention to conditions, selection, and home advantage.
Live Cricket Betting
In-play markets are standard at most sportsbooks. In T20s and ODIs you get ball-by-ball running odds — next-over runs, next-wicket probability, and rolling match-winner prices that update after every delivery. Test cricket uses longer session-based markets: runs scored in the next session (lunch-to-tea, tea-to-stumps), total wickets on day three, and so on.
Note: Australian-licensed bookmakers cannot offer app-based in-play wagering on sport under the Interactive Gambling Act — only phone-call in-play betting is permitted for AU-licensed books. Offshore sportsbooks that accept Australian customers are not bound by the IGA but sit outside its protections.
Choosing a Cricket Sportsbook
Three factors matter most:
- Market depth. For Tests, session markets, method of dismissal, and correct series score shouldn’t be afterthoughts. For T20s, check the number of in-play markets offered per ball.
- Live streaming. Some sportsbooks stream BBL and international cricket direct to funded accounts, which makes in-play betting far easier than trying to follow a scorecard.
- Cash-out. Useful in a long-form game — lock in a profit when your Test outright is cruising on day four, or cut losses when conditions turn.
Responsible Cricket Betting
Cricket’s long formats and frequent in-play opportunities can encourage chase behaviour. Set a stake plan before the match, stick to it, and avoid increasing bet size to claw back losses. If gambling is causing harm, contact Gambling Help Online AU (gamblinghelponline.org.au) — free, confidential support 24/7.