How to Bet on Cricket in South Africa | Formats, Bet Types, Promotions and More

We all have that friend (hey, maybe it's you...) that's totally obsessed with cricket. South Africa is a cricket-loving nation and why wouldn't we be? We've always had a competitive national team in the Proteas and a healthy provincial league capable of pulling big crowds all season long.

So when it comes to betting on cricket in South Africa, punters are spoilt for choice. With odds and markets available for both domestic and international cricket matches available at all the best online bookmakers in South Africa, it's easy to get a piece of the action no matter which team you support!

Whether you want to place your cricket bets Pre-Match or Live In-Play on Test Matches, ODIs or T20 matches, South Africa's top online bookmakers have got you covered!

Read our complete guide on how to bet on cricket in South Africa. You'll learn about everything from cricket formats and betting markets to the best bookmakers for cricket betting, promotions and more.

Why should I bet on cricket in South Africa?

The sheer number of options available for betting on cricket in South Africa is rivalled only by soccer in terms of sports betting. With so many interesting bets you can have before the match starts or even during live play, it's no wonder that South Africans can't simply get enough.

Whether you're a fan of T20 or think it's a disgrace to the game, love Virat Kohli or hate his guts, you'll find fantastic odds, betting markets and promotions right here for betting on cricket in South Africa!

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Cricket Formats Explained

ONE DAY INTERNATIONAL MATCHES (ODI)

A One Day International (ODI) is a format of limited-overs cricket where each team must bat in succession for 50 overs or until 10 players are dismissed. ODI matches last for a total of about 9 hours and the pace of these games is average for the game of cricket. The original Cricket World held every 4 years is played in the ODI format, but there is also a Cricket World Cup held in the T20 format in existence now as well.

T20 MATCHES

With fewer overs to play, T20 cricket puts a premium on hitting and scoring. This format of the game sees each team bat for 20 overs or until they are dismissed and lasts approximately 4 hours. T20 cricket has revolutionised the sport by attracting a younger, more modern audience.

T20 cricket really started gaining momentum when the Indian Premier League (IPL) was founded in 2008. But there are dozens of T20 leagues today which attract players from far and wide. The Big Bash League in Australia, Pakistani Super League and the England-based T20 Blast are just some of the biggest around.

TEST MATCHES

A Test Match is always contested between teams on an international level and can last anywhere from 1-5 days depending on how long players can stay at the crease and the overall strategy employed. Each team takes turns to bat for two innings or until the team batting second has reached the total score set by their opponents over two innings.

Test Match cricket is the only format of the game where a red ball is used and all players dress in white kit regardless of their team. The pace of play in Test Match is relatively slow compared to ODIs and T20s with players generally trying to score runs slowly and consistently throughout the course of an innings.

International Cricket Tournaments

While the tournaments listed below don't include every international competition, these are some of the most noteworthy cricket betting events on the calendar you can bet on in South Africa.

Indian Premier League: The IPL is a T20 cricket league contested in India by eight franchises named after the biggest cities in India. Each team comprises a mix of both Indian and foreign players who are paid very well to compete annually in one of the most well-attended sports leagues in the world.

ICC Cricket World Cup: The ICC Cricket World Cup is the sport's flagship event organised by the international governing body which takes place every four years. It comprises preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is hosted in a different cricketing nation each time.

The Ashes: The Ashes is a Test cricket series contested between England and Australia which dates all the way back to 1877. The Ashes series consists of five Test matches hosted alternatively in each country, every two years. If the test series is drawn, the team that previously won the Ashes retains the trophy.

T20 World Cup: Held every two years since 2007, the ICC T20 World Cup is the official international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The tournament consists of 16 teams, comprising the top 10 teams in the current world rankings as well as six other countries decided by the T20 World Cup qualifiers.

Cricket Betting Markets Explained

Cricket offers an incredibly diverse range of options for placing bets Pre-match (before the match starts) as well as In-Play/Live (after the match has begun). Cricket betting odds and markets in South Africa allow you to make thousands of different predictions about how teams will fare overall, individual player performances with bat and ball, and even what will happen during the match from one ball to the next.

Outright markets in cricket betting offered at many online bookmakers in South Africa also allow you to predict the overall winner of massive tournaments like the IPL or ICC Cricket World Cup as well as smaller domestic leagues or competitions like the Caribbean Premier League.

Popular cricket betting markets in South Africa

🏏 Match Winner: Which team will win the match? In ODI and T20 cricket, there are two possible outcomes—Team A wins or Team B wins. However, in Test Matches, draws can also occur.

🏏 Coin Toss: Which team will win the coin toss?

🏏 Highest Opening Partnership: Which team will score the most runs before losing their first wicket?

🏏 Team with Top Batsman: Which team will have the batsman that scores the most runs in the match?

🏏 Team with Top Bowler: Which team will have the bowler that gets the most wickets while conceding the fewest runs in the match?

🏏 Home Top Batsman: Which player from the home team will score the most runs?

🏏 Away Top Batsman: Which player from the visiting team will score the most runs?

🏏 Home Top Bowler: Which player from the home team will have the bowler that gets the most wickets while conceding the fewest runs in the match?

🏏 Away Top Bowler: Which player from the visiting team will have the bowler that gets the most wickets while conceding the fewest runs in the match?

🏏 Man of the Match: Which player will be declared the man of the match?

🏏 Total Ducks: How many players will be dismissed after scoring no runs?

🏏 Player – Total Runs: Will this player score Over/Under the given number of runs?

🏏 Fall of 1st Wicket: Will the first wicket fall when the batting team has Over/Under the given number of runs?

🏏 Total Match Fours: Will the number of fours scored in the match be Over/Under the given number?

🏏 Total Match Sixes: Will the number of sixes scored in the match be Over/Under the given number?

🏏 Total Match Run Outs: Will the number of runs outs in the match be Over/Under the given number?

🏏 Total Wides: Will the number of wides bowled in the match be Over/Under the given number?

🏏 Method of 1st Dismissal: By which method will the first wicket in the match fall (caught, bowled, run out, etc.)?

Live Cricket Betting

Cricket is one of the best sports to bet on Live (or In-Play). The reason why live cricket betting is so popular is that there are so many different markets available that are updated after every ball. Sportingbet is especially good for live cricket betting as they cover international matches as well as domestic leagues from around the world.

The wide range of markets they have available at top odds makes them very competitive. At Sportingbet, your cricket bets are settled in real-time which means there's no waiting until the end of the match for bets to get paid out.

Best Cricket Promotions in South Africa

It's one thing having the best markets and odds available, but it's even better if you can take advantage of special offers and promotions to give you more bang for your buck when betting on cricket in South Africa!

These cricket promotions available at various betting sites in South Africa offer boosted payouts when you win or refunds on your losing bets should things not quite go as planned:

Sunbet

Almost There: Take an Innings Over/Under bet on any team, and if your selection loses by 0.5 runs then half your stake will be refunded up to R500. Read the terms and conditions.

Almost There – First 15: Take an Innings Over/Under bet on any team for the first 15 overs, and if your selection loses by 0.5 runs then half your stake will be refunded up to R500. Read the terms and conditions.

DRS Making You See Red?: Take a Total Runs live bet on any batsman, and if he’s dismissed by the aid of DRS then half your stake will be refunded up to R500. Read the terms and conditions.

Top Batsman Basher: Back any player to become the Top Runs Scorer, and if he scores 50 runs or more but isn’t the highest-scoring batsman then half your stake will be refunded up to R500. Read the terms and conditions.

Last Ball Madness: Take an Outright Match Winner bet, and if the opposing team scores the winning runs on the last ball of the match then half your stake will be refunded up to R500. ODI matches only. Read the terms and conditions.

PALACEBET

Boundary Beater Free Bet: Place a single bet on any cricket game and get your stake matched up to R500 with a Free Bet to use In-play.

BET.CO.ZA

Cricket Live In-Play Promo: Take R1000 worth of live in-play cricket bets in a week and get a R100 Free Bet. Read the terms and conditions.

Five's Alive Promo: Back a player to be Top Bowler in any match and get a Free Bet equal to half your stake if he takes 5 or more wickets. Read the terms and conditions.

Ton Of Fun Promo: Back a player to be Top Batsman in any match and get a Free Bet equal to half your stake if he scores a century. Read the terms and conditions.

Super Over Special: Back a team to win any T20 or ODI game and get a double payout if they win in a Super Over. Read the terms and conditions.

For more about online sports betting, casino games and lotteries in South Africa, visit the Betting Guide homepage to find bookmaker reviews, promotions, betting tips and more.

Sportingbet is the Best Cricket Betting Site in South Africa

The chances are that if a bookmaker offers odds on any sport at all, you'll be able to place bets on cricket in South Africa. However, some betting sites have more options available for cricket fans and so we recommend a betting site which specialises in cricket betting in South Africa such as Sportingbet.

Here's why you should bet on cricket at Sportingbet:

✅ Widest range of cricket betting markets in South Africa

✅ Competitive odds

✅ Fast bet settlement which happens in real-time

✅ Lowest market suspension rates (ideal for Live Betting)

➡️ Sign up with Sportingbet and get a R1000 Deposit Bonus to bet on cricket

Where else can I bet on cricket in South Africa?

Aside from Sportingbet, some other top cricket betting sites in South Africa include Betway and BET.co.za which both have plenty of opportunities for placing both Pre-Match and Live bets on your favourite leagues and tournaments. On these sites, you can also predict the overall winners of tournaments like the Cricket World Cup and IPL.

➡️ Sign up with Betway and get a R1000 Deposit Bonus to bet on cricket

➡️ Sign up with BET.co.za and get a R2000 Deposit Bonus to bet on cricket