2023 Cricket World Cup top runscorer and top wicket-taker predictions, odds and cricket betting tips

Where to watch

Tournament starts 9.30am Thursday
Sky Sports Cricket, Main Event & Mix

Best bets

Jonny Bairstow top tournament runscorer
1pt each-way 20-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

David Warner top Australia tournament runscorer
3pts 5-2 general

Haris Rauf top tournament wicket-taker
1pt each-way 20-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

Maheesh Theekshana top tournament wicket-taker
0.5pt each-way 66-1 Coral, Ladbrokes

2023 Cricket World Cup predictions

Home advantage is a big factor for India at the 2023 World Cup but, after 16 seasons of the IPL, plenty of overseas players are also familiar with conditions on the Indian subcontinent.

England's Jonny Bairstow and Australia's David Warner forged an excellent opening partnership for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL in 2019 and 2020 and both look set for successful 50-over tournaments.

Bairstow tends to blaze away from ball one in ODIs, increasing the risk of an early dismissal, but his ball-striking is world-class and he looks a good each-way bet in the top tournament runscorer market.

The market is dominated by India's batting stars and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is also prominent in the market despite having never played an ODI in India.

Bairstow dragged England out of trouble in the 2019 league stage, scoring back-to-back centuries in the crucial wins over India and New Zealand, and his last ODI visit to India included knocks of 94 and 124 in a three-match series in Pune in March 2021.

No overseas batsman has scored more IPL runs than Aussie veteran Warner and he warmed up for the World Cup with scores of 52, 53 and 56 in three ODIs against India last month.

He looked in terrific touch against South Africa in September, cracking 106 off 93 balls and 78 off 56 in the second and third ODIs, and was the second-highest runscorer at the 2019 World Cup, finishing just one run behind India's Rohit Sharma.

That tournament marked Warner's return to action after his ball-tampering ban and he has had to work hard to rebuild his international career. With opening partner Travis Head injured for the first half of the league stage, Warner is a worthy favourite to top Australia's runscoring chart. He has scored 20 centuries in 148 ODI innings, passing 150 on six occasions including 166 against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge in the last World Cup.

The top tournament wicket-taker heat is a real puzzle and market leaders Shaheen Shah Afridi, Jasprit Bumrah and Mitchell Starc have all had injury problems this year.

Starc took a record 27 wickets in 2019, having shared top-bowler honours with New Zealand's Trent Boult in 2015, but Pakistan paceman Haris Rauf could be the value at this tournament.

With Naseem Shah injured, Rauf has an even more important role for the 1992 world champions and he has produced some stunning spells in the lead-up to the World Cup.

The skiddy right-armer took 5-18 against Afghanistan in Hambantota in August and picked up nine wickets in his first three Asia Cup matches against Nepal, India and Bangladesh, dismissing dangerous India batsmen Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.

Sri Lanka spinner Maheesh Theekshana took 4-37 on his ODI debut against South Africa in 2021 and has picked up 26 wickets in his last ten matches, helping his side romp to victory at the ICC World Cup Qualifier.

The 23-year-old will face tougher opposition in India but has impressed in two IPL campaigns with Chennai Super Kings and could make the frame at a huge price.

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