Champions Trophy Betting: Dilshan and Dravid could be a double delight

ICC Champions Trophy / Ed Hawkins / 21 September 2009 / Leave a Comment

Rahul Dravid should open for India

"In the last four Champions Trophy tournaments, nine times an opener has finished in the top three runscorers"

If punters stick to the basics when perusing the top batsman and top bowler markets for the ICC Champions Trophy then it should prove to be a profitable tournament, says Ed Hawkins

A look at the long list of talented individuals on the top runscorer and top bowler markets for the Champions Trophy can be a daunting experience. How to decide between Tendulkar, Ponting and Dilshan? Or how do you split Lee, Muralitharan or Steyn?

The short answer is to stick to the basics. But fret not, we will go into more detail to make sure you wade into the two value-busting markets armed with the best possible information for the 15-match tournament which features only the top eight sides in the world. In other words, no minnows, not even Bangladesh.

To find a winner for top runscorer, one does not have to be a rocket surgeon as a wag might say. Becoming tempted by a batsman who bats outside the top three would be pure folly while it could be argued that eschewing the openers is not the wisest of moves.

Certainly this column will not be advising anyone who bats outside the top two. Why? Simple. The openers get the opportunity to bat for longest and get to use the majority of the powerplay overs. It is likely you have read such a sentence on this website before but it is worth repeating. In the last four Champions Trophy tournaments, nine times an opener has finished in the top three runscorers.

The expected openers for the eight competing nations are: Australia Watson/Paine; England Strauss/Denly; India Tendulkar/Dravid; New Zealand Ryder/McCullum; Pakistan Akmal/Nazir; South Africa Smith/Gibbs/Amla; Sri Lanka Dilshan/Jayasuriya; West Indies Richards/Fletcher.

Of course, we cannot back them all so more filtering is required. Wave goodbye to the pairs for England, West Indies and, regretfully, New Zealand because the three sides are unlikely to make it out of the groups and we need our men getting as many games as possible.

The first batsman to rule in is, surprisingly, Rahul Dravid. He is not the archetypal one-day hitter at the top of the order but his class and outstanding record in South Africa against the top eight sides makes him unmissable at [32.00]. His average of 56.69 is the best of any batsman on show. Such a mark has to make him a better punt than Sachin Tendulkar, who averages a disappointing 31 in South Africa against the top eight.

More value comes in the shape of Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan. With 418 runs in the IPL, which, don't forget, was staged in the Rainbow Nation he should be capable of staking a claim, particularly with his side tipped to go well. He is available at [18.50].

There is much to like too about Pakistan's Kamran Akmal, who deserves a return to an opening berth. A dangerous hitter, it may be worth backing him for top Pakistan honours because of worries about the Twenty20 champs making it out of a tight group.

If there is one man to put your faith in who doesn't open, then it has to be Ricky Ponting. Shane Watson and Tim Paine are not the most solid of openers so Ponting could find himself in early. Against the top eight in South Africa he averages a whopping 54.

The 'average against the top eight in South Africa' statistic provides the clarity required for the top bowler market, too. One could make a solid case for Umar Gul, Dale Steyn and Lasith Malinga because they all bowl at the start and end of an innings, spearing deadly yorkers into the stumps. But so too does Brett Lee. And only he can boast an incredible record of 41 wickets in 19 ODIs in the country. He is available at [13.00].