Cricket is not only hugely popular in countries like England, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, but it is also highly favored in other nations which either begin to explore the amazing world of this sport or which have very high records of cricket betting.
All the best bookmakers for cricket know that the specific sport does not only attract wagers from the sport’s die hard fans but also from casual fans or even non-fans. Cricket is not only interesting to play and watch, it is interesting to bet on and this is largely because it is a versatile and volatile game at the same time.
For those who have not yet tried cricket betting or for the beginners in cricket betting, getting to know the biggest tournaments is very useful just as it is useful in every other sport that is not yet so mainstreamed – like eSports, for example. That’s because afterall it is these tournaments and similar events that are actually offered for betting.
Let’s see the three biggest cricket tournaments, which are the most popular among fans and bettors as well.
1. ICC World Cup
The International Cricket Council organizes the Cricket World Cup, which takes place every four years. It is considered to be the greatest tournament of all, viewed by billions and billions of fans! It is the most prestigious and elite competition of the sport, featuring the strongest and most competitive teams battling to dominate and get the so-much-desired title.
The ODI tournament has different stages -Super 12, Eight, Six, Semi-finals and Finals, which means that there are a lot of opportunities for bettors to try their skills!
2023 is a Men’s World Cup year, with India hosting the games which will take place in November. England is the defending champion and one of the best teams, along with Australia which has won the World Cup five times since it was first established back in 1975.
The Women’s World Cup will be held in 2026 in England.
2. ICC T20 World Cup
The T20 World Cup is also organized by the ICC but it’s different because it is faster-paced and more dynamic. It began in 2007 and it was originally designed to take place every two years, but some changes in schedules and covid19 have changed ICC’s plans.
Here there are twenty teams, twelve of which are automatically qualified from the previous tournaments while the remaining eight come from regional competitions.
The T20 World Cup is extremely popular among bettors, despite the fact that it is relatively new. It features very strong teams and it has presented us with some of the most magical moments in cricket.
Both ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and Women’s T20 World Cup defending champion is Australia!
3. The Ashes Series
The Ashes series is a huge thing in cricket and one of the favorite tournaments for those who love the sport. It is the ultimate celebration of cricket and the competition that has the most tradition linked to its events.
In reality it is a fight-over-fight event between England and Australia in games taking place every two years. There are five Test series in each Ashes and whoever wins the series is the winner of the tournament.
The Ashes series have a symbolic character and this tradition goes back to 1882, when the first tournament was organized.
Although there are many more tournaments and events in the world of cricket which are also high profile and prestigious – like the Indian Premier League, the NatWest Series or the Asia Cup, the three presented above are the most popular ones and the ones that tend to generate much interest from bettors. If you are a beginner, you should check out these and try your skills in a fascinating and amazing sport!