Cricket Tournament Betting

The West Indies cricket team is on an extended tour of England, playing test matches against the Three Lions through July. (Photo Courtesy Wikimedia.com)

The Windies are here!

Well, “here” in this case is England. And the Windies, if that moniker is unfamiliar to you, is the West Indies cricket team. They’re on an extended tour of England, playing test matches against the Three Lions from May through July. That tour makes a stop this weekend at the Riverside in Chester-le-Street, not far from Sunderland in the northeast part of the country.

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in the world, and England is one of the most betting-happy places you’ll ever find – especially since England beat Australia in 2005 to win The Ashes, the terracotta urn emblematic of supremacy in their ongoing 125-year-old rivalry. There is a lot of square money to be had whenever an English national team is in action. Many “punters” can’t help but bet on their home side. England may be ranked second in the world (the Windies are No. 8), but that doesn’t mean the Three Lions aren’t overvalued.

However, because Test cricket is played over five days, there is a lot less opportunity for an underdog to get paid then there would be in a one-day cricket match. The Windies, as good as they were during the 1990s, haven’t won a Test series since April 2005. Their recent record outside the Caribbean is 5-38, with seven draws. England, meanwhile, is 14-2 in its last 20 tests with four draws. Yes, you can have a tie in cricket, even after five days of competition. The first test on this summer tour was a draw at Lord’s; England won the following two tests, including this past weekend at Old Trafford.

If you want a piece of this action, the Bodog Sportsbook has England listed at +135 and West Indies at +1600 to win this Friday’s test. The Windies are obviously the big underdogs, but a draw (-185) is more likely to happen. Get your cricket tournament betting action with Bodog.