Best Cricket Betting Sites in South Africa (2023)

Online Cricket Betting in South Africa

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in South Africa, with betting on the outcome of matches all over the world also extremely common in the country.

With betting on sports such as cricket through the internet 100% legal in South Africa, sports fans can almost always find a game to bet on as the sport is played throughout the year.

Even outside of the South African summer, internationals are sure to be being played elsewhere on the planet, while it is possible to bet on a wide variety of domestic competitions as well.

For example, the Indian Premier League - regarded as being the world's top Twenty20 league - is a huge betting event all over the world, including among cricket fans living in South Africa.

However, some people who have never placed a bet on cricket before in their lives may be unclear about how to get started. It can be confusing with so many different markets offered.

This is where we come in to help. Any questions that people are searching for answers for will likely be sorted out right here - read on for our complete guide to cricket betting in South Africa.

About Cricket Betting

Cricket was created in England in the late 16th century but it took a couple of centuries until it started to spread around the world. It is believed that cricket did not come to South Africa until the early 19th century, but it did not take long to get up and running.

Indeed, South Africa then became the third Test-playing nation and its history with the sport remains strong to this day.

Betting on cricket has long been popular in South Africa and other countries, but the rise of the internet has made it easier than ever of late. Now, with studies showing 20 million South African adults now own a smartphone, it is quick and easy to place cricket bets while out and about.

Cricket arguably lends itself to live in-play betting in a better way than any other top sport. Due to the fact, there is a natural pause after every single ball that is delivered in a match, as well as a longer break at the end of an over when the fielding side changes ends, there are plenty of opportunities for people to place a wager in the middle of the action out there on the pitch.

With a variety of forms of cricket available, people will never be short of options to bet on. Test cricket is still widely regarded as the pinnacle of the sport, with the foundation of the World Test Championship helping to breathe new life into the longest format of the game. ODIs - One Day International matches - remain popular despite the rise of Twenty20 (T20), with the IPL and other competitions bringing in a new audience to the game. The story does not stop there, with 2021 hosting the first-ever iteration of The Hundred in England and Wales, with this event a slightly tweaked version of T20 that cricket administrators will again help to bring in new cricket fans.

Cricket Betting Markets

One of the things people need to get to grips with when they start betting on this sport through the internet is the large number of different cricket betting markets that are now widely offered.

Of course, people can opt to keep it simple by just betting on a team to win a particular match. Most online sports betting sites in South Africa also have ante-post betting markets where their players can pick out the winner of a tournament like the ICC World Cup in advance of the event. For a competition like the IPL, other markets like the top wicket-taker or the top run-scorer in the tournament are also likely to be offered among the ante-post markets at betting sites as well.

Before the action starts, markets on offer include which batter will score the most runs in the match, or for their team. Bowling markets are offered too, with users able to bet on who will get the best figures either for their side or overall when both teams are taken into account.

Some top sports betting sites in South Africa let their customers bet on various individual player performances too. For example, ahead of a South Africa match it might be possible to bet on Quinton de Kock scoring either a 50 or a 100 when the star comes out to bat for his country.

Player of the match markets are often available too - as is the case in other team sports such as football - while cricket fans can bet on markets like the total number of sixes that are scored. It is even possible to bet on the outcome of the first ball that is bowled of the match, with betting site users offered some wagers such as dot ball, wide, wicket, bye, no ball, four runs and so on.

When it comes to live in-play cricket betting in South Africa, many of the same markets are still in play even when the action is under way. Sports betting sites are likely to have plenty of data and statistics offered too, to help people to decide which live cricket bets that they want to place.

It will usually be possible to bet on the number of runs that will be scored in the next over, as well as which batter will be dismissed next by the bowling side in a match. Markets for how many total runs the batting team will score continue to be available all the way through a match too.

Many top betting sites put together price boosts and enhanced odds for their main cricket betting markets to try to tempt their customers into having a wager on the big game. Some special bets might be offered too, such as for the batting side to hit a boundary in each of their first five overs.

As we mentioned above, a top cricket betting tip and strategy is to try to focus on one particular event, competition or type of market. So while it is easy to be drawn into the large number of cricket bets that are offered - particularly with live in-play cricket betting - it might be best to try to stick to a plan in advance and only take betting opportunities when a great price comes up.

Popular Cricket Leagues/Events/Competitions to Bet on in South Africa

South Africans are spoiled for choice when it comes to cricket competitions to bet on. Here, we have picked out some of the most important leagues and events in the world of cricket betting.

Test matches

For many cricket lovers, there is still nothing better than a Test match. Taking place over five days allows a lot of ebb and flow during the action - with lots of betting chances too. Test matches are played around the world and throughout the year. South Africa usually play at least one Test series at home during the summer and tour at least one other Test-playing nation during the South African winter. Other Test teams that are popular to bet on in South Africa include the likes of England, Australia, India, West Indies, plus world champions New Zealand, who won the first ever World Test Championship when the final was held in 2021.

ODIs

One Day Internationals (ODIs for short) are very popular for cricket betting as well. Action for this type of match takes about eight hours in full, while day-night matches are common as well. South Africa has had some incredible ODI players over the years, with Quinton de Kock arguably the best of the current bunch that stars for the Proteas. Again, a lot of ODIs are played throughout the year and countries such as Ireland, not deemed a major Test nation, play plenty of ODIs as well. South Africa played a handful of ODIs against Ireland during 2021. The most important ODIs take place in the Cricket World Cup, which is held every four years. The next Cricket World Cup is set to take place in India during October and November 2023. England will be the defending champions at that event after they won the last World Cup on their home soil.

T20s

Even though Twenty20 is still a relatively new form of the game, its popularity continues to rocket. International T20s take place around the year with South Africa usually challenging to be one of the best teams of the world in this format. As with ODIs, there is a T20 World Cup where the best players take each other on for the grand prize. The 2021 T20 World Cup was set to be held in Australia but had to be postponed and moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At first the event was switched to India, but it will now take place in the UAE and Oman. Unusually, another T20 World Cup will then be held in 2022 too, with Australia hosting it in October and November.

Women's cricket

Most interest in cricket in South Africa surrounds the men's game, but the popularity of women's cricket is growing too. Women's international cricket competitions‎ include the Women's Ashes‎ - which sees England take on Australia - as well as the Women's T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held every two years. The next Women's T20 World Cup will not be taking place until 2023, with South Africa confirmed as the hosts of the event. It is expected the Women's T20 World Cup will lead to a huge spike in interest in women's cricket.

Domestic T20 leagues

It is nearly 20 years since the first domestic T20 league was set up and now similar competitions are held all over the world. In 2008, the launch of the Indian Premier League (IPL) took the sport by storm and this is still the top domestic T20 league in the world. South African cricket fans no doubt love to tune in to the Mzansi Super League, which was founded just a couple of years ago in 2018. Made up of six teams - Cape Town Blitz, Durban Heat, Jozi Stars, Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, Paarl Rocks and Tshwane Spartans - the Mzansi Super League has long been touted to expand even further with the arrival of new franchises Bloemfontein Knight Riders and East London Pirates. Some of the other top domestic T20 leagues around the world include the Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, New Zealand's Super Smash, Australia's Big Bash, T20 Blast and the Bangladesh Premier League.

The Hundred and other short-form competitions

New for 2021 was The Hundred, which had initially been set to take place for the first time in 2020 but had to be postponed by a full 12 months as a result of the pandemic. Based on a similar format to the IPL, it sees city-based franchises face off in England and Wales. The Hundred is similar to T20 but matches are slightly shorter, with each team getting 100 balls to score as many runs as they can. Even shorter than T20 and The Hundred, the Abu Dhabi T10 League sees teams pile up as many runs as they can in just 10 overs, with matches completed in around 90 minutes, far shorter than most games.