The arrival of the summer cricket season always sends a shiver of excitement through New Zealand’s punters. The national sport means more than just sun-soaked fun; it also means a whole lot of online betting action.
There are men’s teams and women’s teams, domestic matches, and international tournaments. Talented players ensure that the competition is stiff, so, generally, whatever bets punters place, they know they are in for a white-knuckle ride.
This is especially true of international events in which New Zealand plays. International cricket boasts excellent standards, and it brings out the fans and the punters in droves.
Online Bookmakers Cater for Cricket Fever
Reputable online bookmakers that accept punters from New Zealand certainly cater for the cricket fever that sweeps across the islands come summer. They offer live and futures betting in outright and prop or exotic markets.
Punters who place bets more as a show of support for their favourite team usually head straight to the outright markets, while those with a more serious approach to online cricket betting are usually likely to bet on both outright and prop markets.
Among the outright markets available to Kiwi punters are those that let you bet on teams to win or draw, and those that let you bet on a match’s overall winners. There is also a Draw No Bet market, so that if a match results in a draw, your bet will be returned to you.
New Zealand’s top online bookmakers’ prop or exotic markets offer betting that is far more specific, with bet types that are suited to punters who really know their cricket.
Some of the bet types you could encounter in those markets include betting on the number of run-outs in a test, on a specific batsman to make a century, on a series’ correct score, and on whether a match’s run total will be an odd or even number.
New Zealand Domestic Online Cricket Betting
Domestic cricket in New Zealand sees teams from all over the islands playing matches and tournaments against one another. There are three domestic events that receive a good deal of attention from local punters.
The teams that make cricket in the country what it is are the Wellington Firebirds, the Otango Volts, the Northern Districts Knights, the Central District Stags, the Canterbury Wizards, and the Auckland Aces.
The domestic events most renowned among punters for top class betting action are the HRV Cup, the Ford Trophy, and the Plunket Shield competitions.
New Zealand International Online Cricket Betting
The country’s involvement in international cricket is overseen by New Zealand Cricket, the same body that operates its domestic sport. The national team regularly participates in Test tours, One Day Internationals, and Twenty20 cricket events, organised by NZC in collaboration with other countries’ cricket boards.
The international events that always bring a flurry of betting action to online bookmakers are without doubt that ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the ICC World Twenty20.
It is these events that bring with them the most intense action and the most impressive opportunities to win NZ$.