Cricket: Formats, Fixtures and Betting Explained

Cricket is the only sport where a match can last five days and still end in a draw, and the people who love it will tell you that's a feature, not a bug. It's also the sport that gave the world the 20-over slog, the 100-ball format and some of the tensest finishes you'll ever see. One game, several personalities.

England's 2027 home summer is a big one. The men's and women's Ashes both land here, the World Test Championship Final comes to The Oval, and the ODI World Cup follows in southern Africa that autumn. If you've ever wanted to properly understand what's going on, there's no better year to start.

This guide covers the formats, the scoring, the competitions worth following, where to watch them, what to expect at the ground and how cricket betting works at Casumo for adults who fancy a flutter.

Cricket Explained for New Viewers

Two teams of 11 take turns to bat and bowl. The batting side scores runs. The fielding side tries to get ten batters out, which ends the innings. Whoever scores more runs wins, though Test cricket adds a twist we'll come to.

The three main formats (and a fourth)

Test cricket is the original. Each team bats twice, play runs over a maximum of five days, and if both teams haven't completed their innings by the end, it's a draw. A Test can be won by an innings, by a number of runs or by a number of wickets. It's slow, tactical and, when it gets tight on day five, absolutely gripping.

One Day Internationals (ODIs) give each side 50 overs. An over is six legal balls from one bowler. ODIs take most of a day, usually about seven to eight hours with the break.

Twenty20 (T20) gives each side 20 overs. Three and a half hours, plenty of big hitting and a format built for evenings. The Indian Premier League, the T20 Blast and the T20 World Cup all use it.

The Hundred is England's own short format: 100 balls per side, with bowlers delivering sets of five or ten. Men's and women's games are often played as double-headers on the same day.

How runs are scored

Batters run between the wickets to score. Hit the ball along the ground over the boundary rope and it's four runs. Clear the rope without the ball bouncing and it's six. Extras add runs too: wides and no-balls give the batting side a run plus an extra ball, while byes and leg byes are runs taken when the ball hasn't hit the bat.

How batters get out

The main ways are bowled (the ball hits the stumps), caught (a fielder catches it before it bounces), leg before wicket or LBW (the ball would have hit the stumps but struck the batter's leg first), run out and stumped. LBW causes the most arguments, which is why the Decision Review System (DRS) exists. Each team gets a limited number of reviews per innings, and ball-tracking technology decides close calls. If the ball is only clipping the stumps, the on-field umpire's original decision stands. That's "umpire's call", and it's the phrase most likely to make a commentator sigh.

Reading a scorecard

You'll see scores written as 245/6 (or 6/245 in Australia). That means 245 runs for the loss of six wickets. The run rate is runs per over, and in a chase you'll see the "required rate" too. In limited-overs cricket, if rain shortens a game, the target is recalculated using the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. Nobody fully understands DLS. Everyone accepts it.

How long will you be watching?

A full Test day is around six hours of play, scheduled from 11am to 6pm with lunch and tea breaks, plus extra overs if time's been lost. An ODI fills most of a day. A T20 fits into an evening. The Hundred is about two and a half hours per game. Rain can stretch or shorten any of them, so keep the weather app open.

Cricket terms you'll hear on commentary

• Duck: A batter out for zero. A "golden duck" is out first ball.
• Maiden: An over where no runs are scored off the bat.
• Century: 100 runs by one batter in an innings. Fifty is a half-century.
• Five-for: A bowler taking five wickets in an innings, the bowling equivalent of a century.
• Follow-on: In a Test, if the side batting second trails by 200 or more on first innings, the leading captain can make them bat again straight away.
• Declaration: A Test captain ending their own team's innings early to give the bowlers time to win the match.
• Powerplay: Overs at the start of a limited-overs innings when only two fielders can stand outside the inner circle, which is why scoring tends to explode early.
• Nightwatchman: A lower-order batter sent in late in the day to protect a better batter from getting out cheaply in fading light.
• New ball: In Tests, the fielding side can take a fresh ball after 80 overs. It swings and bounces more, so watch for wickets straight after.

What to watch for in a Test match

First mornings are about the conditions. Cloud cover and a green-tinged pitch favour seam bowlers, and the toss can matter a lot. By day three, the pitch starts to wear and spinners come into the game. Days four and five are where Tests are decided, often with one side trying to bat for survival and the other chasing wickets against the clock. If a Test is heading for a draw and someone takes three quick wickets, you'll feel the whole ground lean forward.

The Competitions Worth Following

The Ashes

England versus Australia, played for a tiny urn that's been fought over since 1882. Australia won the 2025/26 series at home 4-1, so England's men will be looking to reclaim the urn in 2027. The five-Test series starts at Trent Bridge on 18 June 2027, moves on to Lord's and Edgbaston, visits the Utilita Bowl in Southampton (its first men's Ashes Test) and finishes at the Kia Oval from 29 July. The women's Ashes runs alongside it in a multi-format series, starting with a one-off Test at Headingley from 24 June 2027, followed by T20Is and ODIs.

World Test Championship Final

The best two Test sides over a two-year cycle meet in a one-off final. The Oval hosts it again from 9 to 13 June 2027, right before the Ashes begins.

The rest of England's 2027 summer

England's men open with five ODIs against Pakistan from 15 May, then play a one-off Test against Bangladesh at Lord's starting 28 May. New Zealand visit for white-ball matches in September, which doubles as World Cup preparation. England's women finish their summer against Bangladesh.

ICC World Cups

The men's ODI Cricket World Cup 2027 takes place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November 2027. The T20 World Cups for men and women run on their own cycles. The Women's T20 World Cup was held in England in summer 2026, and Australia beat England in the final.

Franchise and domestic cricket

The Indian Premier League (IPL) runs from roughly March to May and is the most-watched franchise competition in the world. It's also one of the most searched cricket terms in the UK. At home, the County Championship is the first-class competition that feeds the Test team, the Vitality Blast is the domestic T20 tournament, and The Hundred takes over the grounds in August with eight city-based teams for both men and women.

• IPL
  When: March to May
  Format: T20 franchise
  
  
• England v Pakistan (men)
  When: From 15 May 2027
  Format: 5 ODIs
  
  
• World Test Championship Final
  When: 9 to 13 June 2027, The Oval
  Format: One-off Test
  
  
• Men's Ashes
  When: 18 June to early August 2027
  Format: 5 Tests
  
  
• Women's Ashes
  When: From 24 June 2027
  Format: Test, T20Is, ODIs
  
  
• The Hundred
  When: August
  Format: 100-ball
  
  
• Men's Cricket World Cup
  When: October to November 2027
  Format: ODI
  
  

The women's game

Women's cricket has grown fast in the UK, helped by The Hundred, which pays men and women equal prize money and puts their games on the same billing. England's women play a full international calendar across all three formats, and the 2027 Ashes will see both England sides take on Australia in the same summer. If you've only ever followed the men's game, the women's Ashes is a great place to start: the multi-format points system means every match counts towards the series.

England's Test Grounds at a Glance

Each ground has its own character, and regulars will argue about which is best until stumps.

Lord's in St John's Wood is the "Home of Cricket", with the famous Pavilion and Long Room. Dress codes apply in certain areas, and the slope across the ground (about 2.5 metres from one side to the other) gives bowlers something extra to work with. The Kia Oval in south London is traditionally the venue for the final Test of the summer and has a loud, relaxed atmosphere. Edgbaston in Birmingham has the most raucous crowd in the country, centred on the Hollies Stand. Trent Bridge in Nottingham is known for helping swing bowlers. Headingley in Leeds has produced some of the most famous Ashes finishes of the modern era. Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester can bring rain and turn. The Utilita Bowl near Southampton, the newest of the group, hosts its first men's Ashes Test in 2027.

Where to Watch Cricket in the UK

Sky Sports Cricket shows England's home international cricket live, along with The Hundred, the Vitality Blast and much of the County Championship's televised action. The BBC shows highlights of England's home internationals and a share of live games from The Hundred, which is the best way to watch live cricket in the UK without a subscription.

On radio, BBC Test Match Special is a national treasure. Ball-by-ball commentary, tangents about cake and pigeons, and genuinely expert analysis in between. It's available on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra.

Overseas tours and franchise competitions such as the IPL are sold separately and can move between broadcasters from year to year, so check listings close to the start date. If you're watching an England tour of Australia or New Zealand, prepare for early starts or very late nights.

A Day at the Cricket

Watching live cricket is a different experience to almost any other sport. You can wander, chat, eat, nap (nobody's judging) and still catch the key moments, because the crowd will tell you when something's happening.

Tickets and ballots

Ashes Tests are the hottest tickets in English cricket. Most grounds run ballots or members' priority windows, and days one to three sell first because they guarantee the most play. Day five tickets are often cheaper and, if the game's tight, can be the best day of the lot. Many grounds offer partial refunds if little or no play is possible due to weather, but terms vary, so check them before you buy. Always buy through the ground, the ECB or authorised partners.

What to bring

Layers, sun cream and a waterproof. Every English summer contains all three seasons in one afternoon. Rules on food and drink differ between grounds: some allow you to bring your own food and a limited amount of alcohol, others are strict. Check the ground regulations before you pack the picnic. Bags are searched at the gate, and most venues have size limits.

Choosing where to sit

Seats behind the bowler's arm (looking straight down the pitch) give the best view of swing and spin but are often restricted to avoid distracting the batter. Square of the wicket is where you'll get the full picture of field placings. Uncovered stands are glorious on a hot day and less fun in a shower. If you're going for atmosphere, Edgbaston's Hollies Stand is famous for it.

Cricket Betting Explained

Cricket's length gives you lots of moments to follow and plenty of markets to look at. Here's how they work.

Match odds and the draw

In limited-overs cricket, it's a two-way market: one team or the other. In Test cricket, the draw is a real outcome, so match odds become a three-way market. Weather plays a big part. A forecast of rain on days four and five can shift the draw price significantly, and that's something you can check yourself before the first ball.

Popular cricket markets

• Match Winner: The team you think will win. In Tests, you can also back the draw.
• Top Team Batter: The player who scores the most runs for their side in the first innings.
• Top Team Bowler: The player with the most wickets for their side in the first innings.
• Total Match Sixes: Big in T20 and The Hundred, where boundaries come thick and fast.
• Innings Runs: Over or under a line for a team's first innings total.
• Method of Dismissal: How the next wicket falls, such as caught, bowled or LBW.
• Series Winner and Correct Series Score: Whether a team will win a series and by how much, for example England to win the Ashes 3-2.

Rules that catch people out

Cricket settlement has a few quirks. If two players tie for Top Batter, dead heat rules apply, meaning your stake is divided and you're paid at a share of the odds. If a limited-overs match is reduced by rain but a result is reached, bets usually stand. If there's no result at all, match bets are normally void. In Tests, if a match is abandoned without a ball bowled, it's typically void, but once play has started the draw becomes a live result. Each market's rules explain exactly how this works, and in cricket they really are worth reading.

Things players look at before betting

Experienced cricket followers tend to check the same few things. The pitch report, published shortly before play, says a lot about whether seamers or spinners will be in charge. The toss matters more in some conditions than others, and in day-night games batting second under lights can be harder. The weather forecast shapes Test markets more than almost anything else. And team news matters: a side picking two spinners is telling you what it expects from the surface. None of this guarantees an outcome. Cricket loves a twist, and that's half the reason people watch.

Live betting on cricket

In-play cricket markets move with every wicket and boundary. A collapse of three wickets in four overs can swing a match price completely. It can be fascinating to follow, but things change quickly, so decide your limit before the session starts rather than in the middle of a tense spell.

Keep It Fun

A five-day Test gives you a lot of time to think, and a lot of time to bet if you're not careful. Set a budget for the series, not just the day, and stick to it. Our Play Okay page has deposit limits, reality checks, timeouts and self-exclusion, all in your account settings. If betting stops feeling like entertainment, GamCare and GambleAware offer confidential help.

More Sport to Explore

Cricket's summer overlaps with plenty else worth watching. Wimbledon fortnight falls right in the middle of the 2027 Ashes, and our tennis guide has the grass-court season covered. The Open returns to St Andrews in July too, so the golf guide is handy for that week. When the cricket season ends, football picks up the weekends. You can see the full range on the Casumo sports hub.

Cricket FAQs

How long does a cricket match last?

A Test lasts up to five days with about six hours of play per day. An ODI takes seven to eight hours, a T20 about three and a half hours and a game in The Hundred around two and a half.

When does the 2027 Ashes start?

The men's series starts at Trent Bridge on 18 June 2027 and ends with the fifth Test at the Kia Oval from 29 July. The women's Ashes begins with a Test at Headingley on 24 June 2027.

What does LBW mean?

Leg before wicket. A batter is out LBW if the ball would have gone on to hit the stumps but struck the batter's body (usually the pad) first, within certain rules about where the ball pitched.

What happens to my bet if rain stops play?

It depends on the format and market. In limited-overs games, bets usually stand if a result is reached under DLS, and are void if there's no result. In Tests, the draw is a valid outcome once play has started. Check the specific market rules.

What is the World Test Championship?

A two-year league of Test series between the top Test nations. The two highest-placed teams meet in a one-off final, which is at The Oval in June 2027.

What's the difference between The Hundred and T20?

The Hundred gives each side 100 balls instead of 120, and bowlers deliver in blocks of five or ten rather than six-ball overs. It was designed to be quicker and easier for new fans to follow. T20 is the global standard used by the IPL and the T20 World Cup.

Can you watch cricket without a subscription in the UK?

The BBC shows highlights of England's home internationals and some live matches from The Hundred, and Test Match Special offers live radio commentary on BBC Sounds.

18+. Please gamble responsibly. GambleAware.org.