T20 World Cup Top Runscorer & Top Bowler Tips: Hendricks just the tonic

• An opener should top score overall
• Conway underrated from 25s
• Hazlewood a fancy for most wickets

Top tournament runscorer

Twenty20, if you haven't noticed, is a batter's game. Specifically, an opening batter's game. In the last World Cup a year ago in the UAE the top four runscorers in the tournament all batted at either No 1 or 2.

Babar Azam took the honours followed by David Warner, Mohammad Rizwan and Jos Buttler. Each of them are priced at 10/1 to finish top this time.

They all play second fiddle, however, to another opener. Pathum Nissanka is the 15/2 jolly having been afforded extra matches in the first-round. He's made a solid start with 83 runs from two innings. Can he hold on?

Probably not. Nissanka may have to play out of his skin even with a three-innings headstart. His runs per innings record over the last two years has him in for around 218 runs from this point. That's if Sri Lanka do qualify for the Super 12 but go no further.

That is likely to be 70-odd short of a winning total if Babar's 303 last year means anything. And it puts him in grave risk of being overataken by openers who make it to the knockouts on runs per innings data.

As you can see from the number below, Sportsbook have made few ricks. Perhaps Rizwan, given his extraordinary consistency, should be shorter. But with Warner of Australia and Buttler of England expected to go deep, they may be afforded more chances.

Of certain starters, New Zealand's Devon Conway is probably the only opener who one could argue deserves to be shorter than 25/1. His record is surprisingly good and he trumps the likes of Babar and Buttler on our filter. The 2/1 that Sportsbook offer about top Kiwi bat also suggests the 25s is out of kilter.

The standout wager, though, is not on the overall top bat market but an individual team. Reeza Hendricks should not be a 9/1 poke for top South Africa bat. Look at that RPI, which comfortably ousts Quinton de Kock.

Yes, there is a doubt about whether he manages to either bump Temba Bavuma to a less damaging role at No 3 or out of the team entirely but the signs are good. He batted and Bavuma did not in the warm-up against New Zealand.

Last two years Runs/Innings/RPI
Rizwan 2275/47/48.4
Warner 585/14/41.7
Conway 375/9/41.6
Buttler 922/26/35.4
Babar 1486/43/34.5
Hendricks 736/22/33.5
Guptill 961/32/30.0
QDK 806/27/29.8
Rohit 943/32/29.4
Rahul 676/24/28.1
Nissanka 810/29/27
Allen 469/18/26.1
Finch 777/31/25
Gurbaz 411/17/24.2
Hazratullah 390/18/21.6
Das 342/20/17.1

*Alex Hales BBL '21 only 383/13/29.4

Top tournament bowler

While we're unfussed for first-round batters to get a headstart, we're less enamoured with the top bowling market. This could already be won.

Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder have six and five wickets each and - as this is typed at least - West Indies look like to scrape through to the Super 12s. With a game to go both could be hard to catch.

There is form, of course. Wanindu Hasaranga won this market last year thanks to first-round wickets. And he's bang in the mix again.

Ahead of the Super 12s starting, there might be some value to be had so long as fancies are priced with the first-round players priced accordingly.

The type of bowler we're after is one that will bowl at the death. The team-by-team death bowlers are listed here.

Of bowlers who have taken 20 or more wickets in this format in the last two years, Josh Hazlewood is a reliable as they come. In terms of strike rate and death options, only Lungi Ngidi is superior and the South Africa may struggle to get a game.

*Ed Hawkins on the three most reliable players to follow

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