Tips and Tricks for Fantasy Cricket and Fantasy Football

Babar Azam was as stylish as ever, but it was his positive brand of cricket against a quality pace attack that caught everyone’s attention. He has scored 4 hundreds and as many fifties in his last 6 Tests.

The same was the case with Ollie Pope. He took the crease when England were reduced to 12 for 3. The ball moved more than expected, and the Pakistan pace attack gave no margin for error. None of these things posed any threat to the young Pope, as he kept the scoreboard ticking with boundaries and quick running between the wicket.

Chris Woakes is in the peak of his form. His unbeaten 84 in a nervous chase of 277 runs makes it to the top of the list of achievements. The fact that he was trusted as a No. 7 batsman makes it even more special. With the ball, he rarely missed his lines and lengths. He dismissed Azhar Ali twice and Babar Azam once.

At the same venue and against the same opposition, Joe Root scored his highest Test score of 254 runs in 2016. Overall, he has a remarkable record against Pakistan: 916 runs at 61.06 in 9 Tests.

In the same Test, Chris Woakes took 7 wickets and played a vital innings of 58 runs. He, in fact, has had a good time at the venue, grabbing 19 wickets at 19.5 in a mere 4 Tests. He was also the highest wicket-taker in the four-match series in 2016, having sniped up 26 wickets including two five-wicket hauls.

Babar Azam is the only Pakistan player in the list of top 10 batsmen in ICC Test Rankings. Since 2019 he has scored 4 hundreds and 3 fifties in 5 Tests.

Azhar Ali scored the bulk of the runs for Pakistan when they toured England four years ago, including a fighting hundred at Birmingham. In the practice match last week, he retired out on 120. Although all eyes will be on Babar Azam, the onus of keeping Pakistan’s innings together will be on Azhar Ali.

Jonny Bairstow made amends in the second ODI with a fabulous innings of 82 off 41 including 14 fours and 2 sixes. His scores at the venue read 141*, 51, 45, 2, and 82.

Curtis Campher has had a dream start to his international career, scoring consecutive fifties and taking 3 wickets. On both occasions, Ireland’s five wickets fell for cheap scores and it was Curtis who held the fort with the lower order.

David Willey has accumulated the most fantasy points in the series thus far. He has been exceptional not only with the ball (7 wickets) but also has been more than handy with the bat. Had it not been for his unbeaten 46 on Saturday at No. 8, England would have stared down the barrel.

Adil Rashid and Saqib Mahmood have taken 4 wickets each. While Rashid has been catching the Irishmen in trance with his wrist-spin, Mahmood has been rocking them with raw pace.

1. Understand player performance

One of the common errors made is, selecting a player just on the basis of their reputation and ignoring their current form. Players like Yuvraj Singh or Harbhajan Singh were in great form in 2012 and 2013, but if we talk about today, then they are not seen in many matches. It is much better to go for players who are seen playing in most of the matches. This way, you are sure to pick players, who are playing on a regular way in the current cricket matches.

2. Understand the pitch performance

Any cricket lover will understand that every pitch is different. Yes, of course we don’t suggest you go to every pitch to check it out in person but doing a bit of research is required for sure. A flat pitch is every batsman’s favorite and for such a pitch, selecting the minimum number of bowlers is a good way to plan your gameplay strategy. Similarly, Eden Gardens has become a fast paced pitch as compared to a spin friendly pitch that it was considered for years. Based on the pitch the game is played on, you can pick the teams accordingly. If you are thinking how to win fantasy cricket, then you need to get this cricket strategy just right.
Other than that, you should also look closely, how the pitch has behaved in the previous matches and then take a calculated decision.

3. Make sure your players are playing on that day

This looks like a very basic thing but is often totally overlooked. The worst thing that can happen for you is to pick a team of players that are actually not playing the real game. The smart cricket tip is to avoid players who have been benched throughout the season. Further, if you have any doubt whether a particular cricketer is playing your selected match, avoid selecting him, no matter how great his records show. If you make a team that has players who are not actually playing the live game, you will just lose the match for sure.

4. Calculate the investment made

There are certain players who are priced on the higher side and yet don’t perform up to the standards of their bid. Selecting such players would mean, you invest significantly more on such players and yet not get the desired outcome. A good fantasy cricket game strategy would be to focus on the young and talented players and create a balance for your team. This will give you better results and you would be able to win more cash rewards as well.

5. Select top order batsmen

There are the top players like MS Dhoni and they are considered the best hitters of the ball, but when it comes to the batting order they come at #5, #6, #7. What it does is, reduces the opportunities to bat as compared to the top four batsmen. This plays an important role especially when we talk about ODIs and T20s. So, do you really want to pick batsmen who may or may not get an opportunity to bat in the game? Select players who are batting in the first four positions to improve your cricket game strategy.

6. Bonus points

When you are playing with a point system, then you definitely want to score additional points as well. There are bonus points awarded for catches, stumpings and even run outs. It is important to track players who regularly take catches and do fantastically well as fielders. This is sure going to improve your point score.

7. Strike bowlers

It is not just batting, but you also need to plan well when you select the bowlers. Selecting bowlers with low rates, will not really help you close the targets. Of course, that means you will not get too many points as well. It is important to select wicket taking bowlers, even though they may be giving away more runs. Select players like Amit Mishra and Yuzvendra Chahal, who may give a six once in a while, however their wicket taking appetite is high.

8. Choosing the captain and vice captain

The captain earns you 2X points while the vice-captain gives you 1.5X points. The combination of these two people is quite crucial for your team. Yet, you need to utilize these points in the most effective way possible. The best way to get this done is by selecting an all-rounder captain who can give the best performance on the field and also gives the maximum number of points.

9. Pick the right planning approach

By now you would have understood the most important fantasy cricket tips to form the right team and win the match. Another factor that you should always keep in mind is planning well ahead and then keeping track of the fixtures. You need to decide on the initial team and of course pick the substitutes, as per the upcoming games. Putting the strategy right at the beginning is one of the most important things to ensure your win in fantasy cricket.

10. Picking uncapped players

When you are playing fantasy cricket games, each team also requires to have one uncapped player. Uncapped players are those who are yet to play at least one international match for their country. You can pick bowlers who bowl in the middle overs and also the wicket keeper batsmen.
Yes, it is important to strategize about your team, however it is equally important to enjoy the game. Every cricket lover already understands the game, now you just need to get into the decision maker’s shoes. With each game, your strategy will improve, and you’ll get more confident in selecting players and forming a winning combination. Also, visit our how to play fantasy cricket section to learn more about the game.