T20 Cricket World Cup Sunday Tipsheet: Two batters to bet for big runs

• Afghans have form for Kiwi win

• Salt superior value to Buttler

• Nissanka overdue top score

• Read the team guide and rankings HERE

• Read our Ultimate Guide to the tournament HERE

• For Betfair's latest cricket betting odds click here

New Zealand v Afghanistan - Afghans the match odds bet

New Zealand v Afghanistan
Sunday 05.30
TV: live on Sky Sports

New Zealand face a tricky test against Afghanistan in their opener and Exchange prices about the outsiders at 2.829/5 are likely to have some appeal.

That is because the contest takes place at Chennai, where there has historically been grip for the spinners. Afghanistan are a one-dimensional side, ranked top on bowling economy in all matches since the last World Cup and bottom for batting strike rate, but any surface which can bring bowlers into play should mean they are in the game.

Hitting New Zealand with an army of spinners makes sense. Rashid Khan is, of course, the best in the business while Noor Ahmed and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman are more than serviceable. At least 16 overs of spin could be bowled by Afghanistan.

The Kiwis should know what is coming. In their first game in the last World Cup they were hammered by Afghanistan in Providence, a dung heap of a surface. Rashid Khan took four wickets, Mohammad Nabi two as they were rolled for 75 in a chase of 159.

The MA Chidambaram surface is unlikely to be as turgid at this stage but Afghanistan, if they bat first, are likely to set their stall out for 165-plus to ensure they are in the game. 

England v Nepal - Salt top England bat at 7/24.50

England v Nepal
Sunday 09.30
TV: live on Sky Sports

Jos Buttler is way overdue a top bat win for England in this format so can we back him at Sportsbook's 12/53.40? It feels like we are stuck between a rock and hard place with Buttler because, hitherto, he has been incredibly consistent but a slight dip in form has meant that his win rate has now crept below his odds. 

There is only one point in it but any boost from Sportsbook should be snaffled. Instead, we have to switch to Phil Salt. It is probably fair to point out that Salt should be our go-to bet regardless. His win rate of 35% is superior to Buttler and he remains consistently underrated. There is no justification for the 7/24.50.

Batting openers makes sense because we cannot disregard the possibility that Nepal get rolled. Associate teams are hugely vulnerable to scores below 100, meaning a relatively simple task for openers to chase a low score with carefree abandon.

Nepal might have their moments. They have shown to be more than a menace to some competitive teams in the last two years. They beat West Indies 2-1 in Sharjah in September, have recorded some wins over the Scots and the Dutch while they also lost by a solitary run against South Africa. 

However, we do fear for them against the likes of Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid, two bowlers who test different skill sets. They just haven't had enough long-term exposure to these types of bowlers (high pace and brilliant, clever spin) and could be caught cold.

Sandeep Lamichhane will be popular for top Nepal bowler at 9/43.25 with Sportsbook. It's a big swerve on win rate and he's only so short because he is the most famous Nepal player.

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Sri Lanka v Ireland - Nissanka a must for top bat

Sri Lanka v Ireland
Saturday 13.30
TV: live on Sky Sports

Pathum Nissanka is a bet for top Sri Lanka batsman against Ireland at the RPS. Nissanka is overdue a win and has an excellent return rate on the market at 34%.

Sportsbook make him a 23/103.30 chance and although that seems slim, we still have four points in our favour with implied probability versus how often he actually takes the cherry.

We cannot rule out the possibility that Ireland have a bit of a struggle on a potentially tacky wicket so a low score if they bat first could be in the offing. Nissanka does not die wondering. He will attack, attack, attack. It could be that 40-odd is enough.

Batting up front is an advantage for another reason. As we saw in the Sri Lanka-England white ball series, this surface can be slow and tacky. That means an opener has the opportunity to bat when it is at its flattest, after the impact of the heavy roller. 

Read Ed's Team Guide and find out which players to follow in our Ultimate Guide