How many runs?

Fancy yourself as a good judge of a batsman's form? If so, and you're looking for a bet with the potential to give you some real value, then the ICC Trophy Total Runs spread betting markets are definitely worth a look.

Basically, spreads companies like Sporting Index make a prediction of the number of runs that a team or player will get in the tournament - this is the "spread". Depending on what you think of the spread, you bet high (Buy) at the bigger number, or bet low (Sell) at the lower number. How much you win or lose depends on how right or wrong you are!

Team total runs
Before the tournament starts, Sporting predict the total number of runs scored by each team will be:

Whichever teams get to the final will play a total of four games, so if you fancy Pakistan to go all the way then you would probably "Buy" their Total Tournament Runs at 640. On the other hand, if India's recent performance against England did not impress you, then you may want to "Sell" their Total Tournament Runs at 585.

Total batsman's runs
As above, Sporting Index also make markets on individual batsmen, along exactly the same lines as the team markets:

Insider trading
These are just a few of the huge range of betting markets available with Sporting Index. To help with your punting decisions, we spoke to their senior market maker for a bit of professional insight:

"Personally, I'll be looking to go against the South Africans - they're going through an horrific run of form and just can't buy a win. They look a shadow of their former selves and are probably a shrewd sell on the Total Runs market.

"As for individual batsmen, I'm afraid that when Hayden opens against the USA it will be like the Alamo for the poor Yankees. He is dismissive of class bowling most of the time, so his strong approach against weak bowling could lead to carnage. Inzamam-ul-Haq is another proven big match player worth backing - if Pakistan can get through their group then his runs total of 105 looks low to me. Whatever happens, despite the absence of Muralitharan and Tendulkar, the array of talent gathered for this tournament promises some quality cricket."

Want to Know More?
As you can see, the cricket spread betting markets available through Sporting Index offer a whole new perspective on your punting, because the bets on players can last for the whole tournament, and you can bet on a player or team to do well or badly.

The biggest free bets
Sporting Index currently offer a range of free bets for all new clients, including a free £10 per run cricket bet, a £200 per goal football bet or even £100 free cashback! They also run regular offers for all clients - for this tournament, they're increasing the payout if you back the performance of a player who is voted Man of the Match.