A Full Explanation of ODI Cricket (2023)

ODI Cricket Explained

A One Day International (ODI) match falls somewhere in the middle of a T20 and Test game in terms of length. Whereas the former is a 40-over game that is split into two 20 over innings while the latter is a five-day match that contains 90 overs a day for a total of 450 overs, an ODI has 100 overs split into 50 overs for each side.

An ODI will usually take around eight hours to complete, meaning that it is nowhere near as long as a Test match. However, this may still seem like an excessive amount of time to non-cricket fans. Despite its length, the 50-over format provide plenty of excitement as well as chess-like strategical thrills, with teams needing to know whether or not to slowly build a score before looking to accelerate or to go big from the start.

ODI cricket does have a number of domestic tournaments across the world. However, unlike T20 cricket, which boasts the hugely popular T20 Blast in England, the Big Bash in Australia and the IPL in India, ODI cricket does not really get the same publicity.

Nevertheless, on the international stage, there are many ODI matches played out across the year. The 50-over Cricket World Cup brings in massive audiences from across the globe, and is universally seen as the biggest event in ODI cricket.

At the time of writing, the best teams in international ODI cricket are England, India, New Zealand and Australia. However, much like the Test and T20 game, any full-fledged international outfit could realistically beat any of the top sides. This means most ODI cricket betting markets will provide good value, as matches can be very unpredictable.

How to Bet on ODI Cricket

ODI betting has seen a huge amount of interest in recent years due to the style of the 50-over game. Below, we’ve outlined the most important things to keep in mind while betting on ODI cricket. 

Where Can I Find the Best ODI Betting Markets?

First, you need to log in or sign up with your chosen bookmaker. On the homepage, click on the image of a cricket ball or the ‘cricket’ tab in the sports section that usually appears on the left-hand side of the screen. This will reveal all of the available cricket betting options that the bookmaker offers.

Be aware that these matches will be a mix of Test, ODI and T20 games. Bookmakers may not always differentiate clearly between the formats, so be sure to know exactly what you're betting on.

What ODI Cricket Markets Am I Able to Bet on?

While your betting strategy across the three formats of the game may change, the markets are something that remain almost identical. Whether you are betting on Test or ODI cricket through a bookie’s website or one of the best cricket betting apps in India, you will be offered all of the same options.

When it comes to ODI betting, the amount of possible markets is near-endless. Fortunately for bettors that are new to ODI cricket betting, these markets do translate well from Test or T20 cricket to ODI matches, meaning that there is no major learning curve for novices to get a handle on.

Why Should I Bet on ODI Cricket?

ODI betting provides the thrill of a T20 game alongside the tactical battle of a Test match. There are a number of factors that you should take into account when it comes to betting on ODI cricket. Below, we have listed the most important of these points.

Value Bets

ODI betting can provide big value across the board, whether in match betting or more player-based markets.

For example, in any given match there will generally be a favourite and an underdog. In cricket, a team like Bangladesh has every chance of beating a team like England as the gap in talent between them is not massive, while pitches and plans also play a big role in a match's final outcome.

Do your research into finding value in ODI cricket betting. This can be the difference between you having to bet big and risk a lot to win a lot, or betting smaller on markets that offer a lot of value. You can also try to maximise the value in your bets by utilising some of the best cricket predictions in the world, too.

Competition Betting

While ODI betting may not offer as many domestic competitions as T20 betting does, the international scene sees a huge amount of games taking place. As is standard, most international teams play five-match ODI series, meaning there are plenty of matches for you to bet on.

In conjunction with this, the Cricket World Cup is one of the biggest draws in not just ODI betting, but in cricket betting. An enormous amount of fans tune in or travel to see their favourite teams battle for World Cup glory, with bookmakers rushing to match the enthusiasm by providing plenty of betting fun on their platforms.

The newly formed Cricket World Cup Super League also brings more ODI betting opportunities. This competition is played across several years, and is part of the qualification process for the next World Cup, overseeing 12 full member nations and the Netherlands battle it out to enter. Each side will play an ODI series against eight of the 12 other teams, with four series taking place at home and four taking place away. Needless to say, the Super League will also bring with it a glut of new betting opportunities to enjoy.

ODI Cricket Tips

Below are some of the most important ODI betting tips that you should take into account.

• Find value bets – The most important factor when it comes to ODI cricket betting is value betting; this will ensure that you see a decent return on your initial investment without having to wager excessively. If you can find markets and bets that provide good odds along with a fairly high chance of winning, then you'll be able to win a decent amount if your bet is successful.
• Examine the form – Form will not necessarily always predict who will win a match, but it can be very telling in who will likely dominate. For example, if India go into an ODI match on the back of 15 wins in a row, then they will be more confident of winning their next match. If South Africa go into the game on the back of seven losses on the bounce, then the form will point to India being the side to back. Admittedly, this is where cricket shines, as there are so many different variables in a game that anything could happen. However, if you are struggling to split two sides, then examining the form of both sides is often a useful tactic.
• Don't get carried away by emotion – The fact that an ODI match is played across 100 overs (50 overs per side) makes the in-play betting scene even more alluring, as with every ball there is usually something happening. However, you should not let this distract you from making shrewd, well-thought out bets. For example, you may have the impulse to place a bet on a batsman to score a fifty, after a quick start sees them to 10 not out. Having said that, if you have not read the game properly, you could have missed that his two risky boundaries have narrowly evaded the fielders twice, meaning a quick exit is likely.
• Back the batsman – ODI and T20 matches both see a lot of fireworks on the pitch, but these usually come from the batting side, and not the bowlers. In good news for the batsmen, boundaries seem to have gotten smaller in recent years, while bats are now so finely tuned that they are incredible weapons in the middle.
  In conjunction with this, pitches are often purposefully catered to batsmen, giving them the advantage over the bowlers, with the turf being flat and offering little assistance to specialist bowlers. Most matches end in huge run-fests, with the fielding team trudging off the pitch at the end of the game wondering what happened.
• Read the pitch report – This is an excellent way to get the inside scoop on which bowlers and batsmen might excel on the day. A pitch report will often allude to a certain style of bowling being more dangerous (such as a dry and cracked pitch being better for spin bowling). It will also help you to decide which batsman you should back, as, if the pitch is conducive to spin bowling, then you will likely want to shy away from a player that finds a spinning ball difficult to play against.
• Investigate the location and venue – The location of a match will have a big impact on players' performances, and can even see the so-called better team at a disadvantage if they do not have the tools to adapt. For example, England may be a better all-around side than Bangladesh, but, if the former were to travel to the latter's home country, then spin would play a big role in the match. In this case, England's batsmen may not be used to playing on spinning conditions against bowlers, which can really turn the ball, setting the team back as a whole significantly.

Best Markets For ODI Betting

One Day International Betting: Series Winner

This market has become incredibly popular for ODI betting, as it allows you to wager on the winner of a series between two sides. A series can be anywhere from two ODI matches or more, and is usually played between two international teams.

Before betting on a series, you should be aware of factors such as the location of the series, the players's performances, historic results for the sides against each other,  the proximity of the series to a major tournament and where the matches fall in the international calendar.

Another reason why this market has become so popular is because there are two ways to wager on it. You can either bet on the series winner before a ball has been bowled, or you can also wager on the victor after a game or two has been played. The first will offer fairly stable odds up until the first game is played, while the second will see prices fluctuate following the first match. If you back the latter at the right time and in the correct way, you could win big.

Your timing when it comes to betting on the series winner betting market is crucial.

One Day International Betting: Most Fours/Sixes

(Source: Unibet)

‘Most Fours' betting refers to wagering on the team that you think will score the most fours in a match, with ‘Most Sixes' requiring you to bet on who will score the most maximums. A four is scored when a batsman hits the ball to the boundary rope, and it bounces at least once or more. Meanwhile, a six is when a batsman hits the ball over the boundary rope without it bouncing at all.

This type of betting is perfect for the ODI format as batsmen are constantly looking to score quick runs, and this is done best through hitting boundaries. You should always do your research into the batsmen and bowlers that will be on show in the match. Similarly, this market is excellent to bet on if you're signed up with one of the best in-play betting sites. This is because an ODI match can swing very quickly, meaning that short odds can become longer in the blink of an eye.

Certain bowlers are incredibly miserly when it comes to the opportunities they give away, however. Indian superstar Jasprit Bumrah is one of the best limited-overs bowlers and, alongside taking wickets, gives batsmen few chances to score boundaries due to his style of accurate and aggressive bowling.

On the other side of the fence, certain batsmen will be better exponents of boundary hitting than others. A player like Jos Buttler, for example, will score a very high percentage of his runs via boundaries when he is in full flow. However, it is worth looking at the current state of the game if you are going to utilise this market in-play. If England were 15-4 with Buttler at the crease, he is far less likely to score boundaries, and will instead look to poke ones and twos in order to minimise the threat of him losing his wicket.

Always ensure you have a sense of the way the game is going and who the momentum belongs to.

Best betting site for ODI betting on Most Fours/Sixes: Unibet

One Day International Betting: Top Wicket-Taker

(Source: 888sport)

Top Wicket-Taker betting allows you to back the player you think will take the most wickets in the match. This can be split down further into two categories.

The ‘Top Team Wicket-Taker’ refers to when you are betting on one player to take more wickets than his teammates. This market offers less value than Top Wicket-Taker, but only leaves 10 other players that could take more wickets apart from your pick.

The second option is the ‘Top Wicket-Taker’ market. Here, you will be able to wager on the player that you think will take the most wickets in the entire game. This market can provide your pick with longer odds, as they must now take more wickets than all 21 other players on the pitch.

When it comes to wicket-taking betting, you should ensure that you do your research into the bowlers and batsmen on show, the venue and overhead conditions, how the pitch will play, who it will give the most assistance to and how your choice has performed against the opposition batsmen in the past.

The options in this market will invariably provide a lot of value but, as mentioned, there are a number of players that could out-perform your choice, meaning it can be hard to nail a winner here. Despite this, top wicket-taker betting usually features prominently on the best cricket betting sites.

Best betting site for ODI betting on Top Wicket-Taker: 888sport

Top Matches in ODI Cricket History

Below, we have listed some of the greatest ODI matches and performances in the history of the 50-over game.

England (241 and 15/0) beat New Zealand (241/8 and 15/1) by boundary count (Cricket World Cup Final – 14th July, 2019)

Billed by many as the greatest cricket match ever, and by some as one of the most nail-biting finals in sport, England’s World Cup final victory over New Zealand was anything but predictable.

With the two teams tied on 241 at the end of the match, it became the first ODI match requiring a Super Over.

England batted first and, with Buttler and Stokes reunited, the pair smashed their way to 15/0. This meant that New Zealand required 16 to win, with England the winners in the event of a draw as they had scored more boundaries in their innings.

The Black Caps got off to a great start, as a wide from English bowler Jofra Archer was followed by a booming six from James Neesham off the third ball of the over. Neesham’s excellent batting left Guptill needing to score two runs off the final ball. The opener nailed to ball down to deep mid-wicket, which allowed Jason Roy to gather and fire a pin-point accurate throw into Jos Buttler behind the stumps. Buttler then whipped the bails off with Guptill well short of the crease, sparking jubilant celebrations on and off the pitch.

The game itself saw England crowned World Cup champions for the first time in the 50-over game, earmarking this match as the most dramatic and pulsating in the history of ODI cricket.

England (481/6) beat Australia (239) by 242 runs (19th June, 2018)

England’s total of 481/6 remains to this day the highest ever scored in an international ODI match.

The home side went about completely dismantling Australia’s bowling attack, as Jason Roy (82 from 61 balls), Jonny Bairstow (139 from 92) and Man of the Match Alex Hales (147 from 92) sent the ball to all corners of Trent Bridge stadium. Incredibly, this massive score came without England’s most explosive player, Jos Buttler, not getting a score of note, as he was caught off the bowling of Jhye Richardson for just 11.

In reply, Australia knew they had a mountain to climb and, despite things looking positive from the off, were always well behind the required rate as wickets fell regularly. Ultimately, the touring side were skittled for just 239 inside 37 overs, as they suffered the ignominy of having the highest ever ODI total scored against them.

Rohit Sharma (264) for India vs Sri Lanka (13th November 2014)

Rohit Sharma’s complete domination of the Sri Lankan bowlers in India’s 3rd ODI was nothing short of outstanding. Batting at the top of the order, Sharma took just 173 balls to smash his way to a world record score of 264, which featured nine sixes and 33 fours.

Such was Sharma’s dominance that he was able to score well over half the teams total of 404/5, while he managed almost 200 more runs than the next highest Indian scorer (Virat Kohli).

In just short of 30 overs, Sharma outscored what the entire Sri Lankan team (251) scored in 43.1 overs. To this day, Sharma’s total has not been touched and, such was the level he was playing at on that day, we cannot see it being broken for some time to come.

One Day International Betting FAQs

Which are the best betting sites for ODI betting?

Any of the betting sites we have listed above will give you a fantastic platform to bet on any of the top cricket tournaments. However, if you want to utilise the best of the best for your ODI betting, then we would recommend Unibet and 10CRIC. These three bookmakers offer a range of tournaments, competitive odds and excellent cricket-based stats and graphics. They also offer generous promotions, live streaming tools, a variety of alternative sports markets and a good selection of the best betting payment methods.

Which are the best markets for ODI betting?

This largely depends on your own preferences. If you don't mind having fewer options when you bet and you are happy to wager on shorter odds, then the match winner market may be for you. However, if you enjoy challenging yourself, then you should go for markets such as Top Batsman or Man of the Match. Outright betting, such as Series Winner or Cricket World Cup Winner, also offers good value if you time your bets right.

Can I live stream ODI cricket matches?

Yes, you can live stream certain ODI matches. To do so, go to our list of the best live cricket streaming sites and see if your bookmaker of choice is on there. If so, simply log in to your account and go to their live streaming section, or go to the game you want to watch and see whether it has a live streaming symbol next to the match (usually a tv- or play-shaped button).

In order to live stream, you will often need to have a positive balance in your account, have made a bet in the last 24 hours or have placed a bet on the game you want to watch.

Be aware, though, that live streams are usually subject to a delay of a few seconds.

Which is the best tournament for ODI betting?

Unlike T20 cricket, which has the World Cup, Big Bash, T20 Bash and IPL betting to keep fans happy, ODI cricket is much more streamlined in its offering of competitions. Instead, it focuses more on the series between international teams and the Cricket World Cup.

CricketBettingAdvice Final Say

Like T20 and Test cricket betting, wagering on One Day International cricket can offer big value and, just like betting on soccer, tennis or the best online lottery, wagering on this sport only adds to the excitement of watching the events of a match unfold.

As always, do your research and be smart with your money, and you could make a decent profit from ODI betting.

Cricket Betting Advice

The Cricket Betting Advice team of writers are all defined by one goal: to provide you with the best online cricket betting content on the web.