Gambling on test match cricket can be a roller coaster ride

Sports gambling fans generally confine their gambling to their favourite sports which they tend to think gives them more chance of winning because of their knowledge of the sport. There are however exceptions to this general rule, and these are usually the major sporting events which attract the attention of a much wider audience across the country and often the world. This weekend has been a perfect illustration of how major sporting events can persuade even the most rigid sports gambling enthusiast to look beyond their usual sport. On Saturday the British and Irish Lions stunned Australia with a totally unexpected display of power and skill to seal a Lions series win for the first time since 1997. Sunday then saw the end of an even longer wait for success with Andy Murray winning the Wimbledon men’s singles title, the first time a Brit had won in 77 years. Both of these events attracted considerable gambling interest beyond their normal following. Next up is the Ashes, and whilst gambling on cricket is not a major gambling activity in Ireland the Ashes has become the focal point of test match cricket across the world. Cricket in Ireland can never be considered to be a mainstream sports gambling activity, but there are many Irish cricket gambling fans who will be glued to their radios over the next few weeks because it is the Ashes. Gambling on cricket has had its controversies over the past few years, particularly on the sub-continent where cricket gambling is the number one sports gambling activity, but the match fixing allegations have tended to be confined to one day games and not test matches. Test match cricket played over five days between two evenly matched teams is often a roller coaster for cricket gambling enthusiasts, because the balance of the game can change so many times over the period of the match but it is an ideal sport for in-play gambling. While we’re talking cricket, congratulations to Ireland for qualifying for the 2015 World Cup and we wish them every success. We may even consider gambling on a second World Cup victory over England.