Richard Mann's preview of the specials markets for the ICC T20 World Cup features selections ranging from 40/1 to 13/5 – get the verdict here.
Cricket tips: ICC T20 World Cup
3pts Devon Conway top New Zealand tournament batsman at 13/5 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
1pt Devon Conway top tournament batsman at 33/1 (Coral, Ladbrokes)
2pts Dawid Malan top England tournament batsman at 4/1 (General)
1pt Dawid Malan top tournament batsman at 40/1 (Sporting Index)
2pts Josh Hazlewood top Australia tournament bowler at 11/4 (General)
1pt Josh Hazlewood top tournament bowler at 25/1 (Sporting Index)
1pt Anrich Nortje top tournament bowler at 40/1 (William Hill, Sporting Index)
3pts Haris Rauf top Pakistan tournament bowler at 4/1 (General)
2pts Tom Cooper top Netherlands tournament batsman at 4/1 (General)
1pts George Dockrell top Ireland tournament batsman at 22/1 (Sky Bet)
Count on Conway
DEVON CONWAY has been returned to the top of the New Zealand batting order, and he makes plenty appeal at 33/1 for tournament runscorer for the ICC T20 World Cup.
Conway is a class act in all formats, but he is now averaging 52.27 in 29 T20Is, with a career strike-rate of 134.23 suggesting he can play the ‘anchor’ role or the aggressor, whichever is required.
In truth, Conway has it all, as three hundreds from only 10 Test matches prove, and I’m expecting big things from him in Australia.
The 31-year-old was tasked with batting at number four in last year’s World Cup in the UAE – owing to his excellence against spin which has been highlighted by his performances in the Indian Premier League – and he again showed up well, for all 129 runs at 32.25 is a drop off from his numbers when opening the batting.
There is no doubt that he is happier batting up top, 252 runs for Chennai Super Kings from only seven matches in the latest IPL a reminder of that, and he has warmed up for the World Cup with scores of 36, 70*, 49* and 64 over the last few weeks.
With the Kiwis missing Daryl Mitchell through injury, there will be plenty of responsibility on Conway’s shoulders as he looks to build strong foundations for a powerful middle order, and that is another positive for anyone looking for a tournament runscorer bet.
Recent form certainly makes Conway a strong fancy for top New Zealand tournament batsman at 13/5, with a few doubts around the likes of Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson at present, and I also want him in the outright tournament batsman book at 33/1.
A possible negative is that both the top tournament runscorer and wicket-taker markets count first-round results, potentially giving players from Sri Lanka and West Indies a head start, but that didn’t make a difference in this market last year, and I’m not sure it will 12 months on.
Malan can thrive in Australia
As such, Conway is joined in the staking plan by DAWID MALAN, a real favourite of mine who I remain convinced will thrive in Australian conditions, something that was again in evidence when he made a brilliant 82 against Australia in England’s warm-up match on Wednesday.
Having grown up and honed his game in South Africa, it’s no surprise that Malan has always been at his best on quick pitches against fast bowling, when his strong back-foot game and silky timing can be seen to best effect.
Regular readers of these pages will be aware by now that I point to the fact that Malan’s only Test century came at the WACA in 2017, and he immediately looked at home against Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc on Wednesday.
Malan didn’t enjoy a great World Cup in the UAE, something that I would again attribute to conditions, but he has gone very well since and having not been rewarded for his performances with an England central contract in recent days, he has been talking like a man with something to prove.
The Yorkshire left-hander has often been at his best in that scenario – Wednesday’s Man of the Match performance came a game after he'd been shunted down the batting order – but more compelling than anything is Malan’s record.
At the time of writing, Malan is ranked sixth in the world in T20I cricket, making him comfortably the highest ranked of any England batsman, with his career average nudging 40 and 14 half-centuries and a hundred to his name.
Make no mistake, Malan is a serious operator is this format, one who comes into the tournament in good touch and should have optimum conditions to work with in the coming weeks.
I make him a good bet to finish as England’s leading tournament runscorer at a general 4/1, with the 40/1 for top tournament runscorer also advised.
Cooper and Dockrell to shine for minnows
TOM COOPER won’t be troubling the frontrunners when it comes to leading tournament runscorer, but his vast experience and strong CV in Australia suggests he could prove the Netherlands’ most productive batsman.
Cooper has 6,533 Sheffield Shield runs to his name, scored mainly for South Australia, and it was only last season that he was plying his trade in the Big Bash for Brisbane Heat.
What he has left in the tank with his 36th birthday fast approaching remains to be seen, but at the time of publication the omens are pretty good following three consecutive ODI half-centuries against Pakistan in August when coming up against a strong attack.
The Netherlands' batting is better than some might expect, but Cooper’s credentials, particularly in what are home conditions, mark him down as the standout and 4/1 for top Netherlands tournament batsman is too big to ignore.
At a bigger price, I'm going to chance GEORGE DOCKRELL for top Ireland tournament batsman.
Dockrell faces strong competition, not least from the likes of Paul Stirling and Harry Tector, but Sky Bet are too big at 22/1 for a player whose batting has improved markedly in the last couple of years and arrives in Australia following a productive run of form.
Dockrell was outstanding in Ireland's series win over Afghanistan last summer, reeling off scores of 10*, 25*, 58*, 41* and 7* in that five-match series when not dismissed once by what is a very good attack.
I thought it was interesting that the Dubliner was moved up from number six to five in Ireland's recent warm-up defeat to Namibia, and while betting the middle order in T20 is usually asking for trouble over the duration of a tournament, odds of 22/1 more than offset that concern.
To small stakes, Dockrell is worth a bet.
Big guns Hazlewood and Nortje to the fore
JOSH HAZLEWOOD looks a huge price at 25/1 (Sporting Index) for top tournament bowler, with the 20/1 and 16/1 also available worth taking.
The New South Wales paceman has always been a terrific bowler in Test cricket, but he has elevated himself to the top of the world in this form of the game following a fruitful 18 months which saw him bowl brilliantly at the last World Cup and continue that trend thereafter.
Hazlewood’s economy rate remains impressively low, but it’s the damage he does with the new ball and at the death which counts here, and he is averaging close to two wickets a match in T20I cricket in 2022.
Conditions will suit his hit-the-deck style of bowling perfectly back on home shores, and while I haven’t wanted to tie myself in knots trying to predict which sides make the final, and thus whose players get another two games to go at, the fact Australia are defending champions on home soil has to be a positive for Hazlewood’s chances.
I rate him a better bowler than teammates Starc and Cummins in this format and will also be backing him for top Australia bowler honours at 11/4. Leg spinner Adam Zampa pipped Hazlewood to the post in the UAE, but pace, not spin, can win out in Australia.
I hadn’t intended to look past Hazlewood in this market, but nor had I expected to be able to bet ANRICH NORTJE at 40/1, and he cannot go unbacked.
The case for Nortje is very straightforward. The South African will be the second fastest bowler on show in the competition after Mark Wood, as was the case in the UAE when he defied conditions and South Africa’s early exit to finish joint-sixth in the wicket-taker list following some brilliant displays.
I’m happy to chance Nortje at 40/1, though my respect for teammate Kagiso Rabada means I’m not desperate to take relatively short prices about the selection for top South African tournament bowler.
Both ought to go close, but Nortje’s bigger price and extra pace make him the preferred option.
India’s Arshdeep Singh was another I considered in this market at 50/1, given he has suddenly become one of India’s key bowlers following injury to Jasprit Bumrah.
But his success to date has come at home and in the IPL, while HARIS RAUF was another firmly on my radar.
I'm going to stick with what I believe are two strong picks in Hazlewood and Nortje, but there is merit in getting Rauf onside in another of the markets.
in fact, I reckon he's a much better bet for top Pakistan tournament bowler at 4/1, given his main threat here is Shaheen Afridi, a brilliant performer himself but one who has hardly featured in the last few months following injury.
That gives Rauf a clear advantage, particularly early in the competition, and his form is very strong having finished the recent series against England as the leading wicket-taker on either side, before bagging five wickets in two warm-up matches against New Zealand in the last few days.
Furthermore, Rauf has plenty of knowledge of Australian conditions to fall back on having made his name playing for Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, and his prowess at the death means he will always be in with a chance of picking up wickets.
I'll leave him alone in the top tournament bowler market, but will be disappointed if he doesn't prove the pick of Pakistan's bowling attack. 4/1 is too big.
Posted at 0910 BST on 14/10/22
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