Cricket Betting Markets Explained Australia
How the three cricket formats - Test, ODI and T20 - change the market board, from a three-way match result to innings totals and powerplay lines.
Visit TopSport →Cricket markets follow the format. A Test is played over five days with two innings a side and can be drawn, so its match result market carries three outcomes, while ODI and T20 matches produce a winner on the day and are priced two ways. The scoring markets scale with innings length - 50 overs in an ODI, 20 in a T20 - which is why totals, powerplay lines and top-runscorer boards look different in each format. This page sets out how those markets are built and does not suggest which side to support.
How format shapes the cricket market board
- A Test match is scheduled across five days with two innings a side and a minimum of 90 overs bowled each day, and it can legitimately end in a draw. That third outcome is why a Test match result is framed as a three-way market rather than a straight head-to-head.
- A One Day International gives each side a single innings of 50 overs, with fielding restrictions split into powerplay blocks covering overs 1-10, 11-40 and 41-50. A result is almost always reached inside the day, so the match market is two-way and totals are quoted per innings.
- A Twenty20 innings is 20 overs long, the first six of them forming the powerplay, and the whole match usually runs about three hours. The shorter block is why T20 boards lean on innings totals, six-over powerplay lines and over-by-over numbers.
- When rain shortens a limited-overs match the target is recalculated by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, and many competitions settle a tied game with a Super Over. Markets are settled on the official revised result, not on the raw score the shortened innings produced.
What changes between the formats
| Format | Structure that shapes the market |
|---|---|
| Test (up to five days) | Two innings a side and a possible draw, so the match result is priced three ways and day or session markets can exist alongside it. |
| ODI (50 overs a side) | One innings each inside a single day with three powerplay blocks; the match result is two-way and totals are set per innings. |
| T20 (20 overs a side) | One innings each with a six-over powerplay; the board centres on innings totals, powerplay runs and over-by-over lines. |
| Multi-Test series (the Ashes is five matches) | Series markets run across every match, and a drawn series is a separate outcome from a drawn match. |
| Rain-affected limited overs | Overs are cut and the target revised by the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, which then decides how the match market settles. |
Where to check this
The rule that in-play sports bets cannot be placed online in Australia comes from the Interactive Gambling Act 2001, administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, which publishes what may be offered online here. Read on 24 September 2026.
Settlement details — deductions, voids and late scratchings — are set by the operator and change, so this page explains the mechanism rather than printing figures. If betting stops being enjoyable, Gambling Help Online is on 1800 858 858 and BetStop is the national self-exclusion register.