What is First Innings Runs? First Innings Runs Explained in 2 minutes
Jesse M. Cox Last Verified
31/03/2021
What is First Innings Runs?
First innings runs is a term used in baseball mainly in the United States but is more common throughout the rest of world as a cricket term.
The first innings of the match can refer to both teams in a cricket Test match environment, where the game requires both teams to bat twice - unless there is a winner before the second batting team’s innings.
First innings runs is the total number of runs that each team scored with their first turn with the bat and is often the halfway point of the game.
Once the first innings runs are in, there is a clear indication of which way the game is heading and who is most likely to win. It is also known as a team’s first innings run total.
How is First Innings Runs used in Sports Betting?
There are a number of factors to consider when placing a first innings runs bet.
To get going, you are betting on which team of, for example, England and India will have scored the most runs after both sides first turn with the bat.
But in order to make an informed decision you must consider one vital factor - the toss. This is because the team who win the toss get the option to bat their first innings first or let their opponent go into bat, although proposals have been made to change how the toss works in Test cricket.
The condition of the pitch will dictate whether a captain will opt to bat or bowl first. This is an advantageous position to be in as they will naturally always select the option that is beneficial to their team and condition of the wicket.
Did you know…
The term ‘Innings’ dates back as far as 1730 and used by a reporter in the London based newspaper St James Evening Post. The reporter was reporting on a game of cricket between Kent and London and used the word in his write up of the match.
This was the first time the term was found in text but had clearly been used prior to this point.
