T20 World Cup: Top Australia bowler odds

A truly world-class quartet of bowlers played a huge part in Australia winning the 50-over World Cup in India last year and the same four players will lead the charge at the T20 World Cup.

Pacemen Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood all excelled in India, while leg-spinner Adam Zampa was the outstanding performer as he took 23 wickets in the tournament to finish as second highest wicket-taker behind home seamer Mohammed Shami.

With the first-choice attack seemingly settled already, the back-up seam options come from Nathan Ellis, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh.

Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell, Ashton agar and even Travis Head could play big roles with their finger spinners.

Adam Zampa - 3.40

Leg-spinner Zampa had been under some pressure to perform heading into last year’s 50-over World Cup, but he delivered in spades, so it is no surprise to see him head the market to be top Australia bowler.

Conditions in the United States and West Indies are highly likely to suit the slower bowlers and Zampa was joint leading wicket-taker for Australia at the last T20 World Cup.

He took five wickets in three matches at a more than decent economy rate of 6.66 tow years ago and there is no reason to think that he cannot continue to shine in white-ball cricket.

Zampa’s overall T20I record reads 92 wickets from 80 matches with an economy rate of 7.28, with his wickets tally the highest for any Australian bowler in the format.

Pat Cummins - 4.00

Cummins is freed from the responsibility of being captain in the 20-over arena, however, there is a slight suspicion that this is the weakest of the three formats for the genuine quick.

His overall record reads 57 wickets from 52 matches and an economy rate of 7.43, figure which are more than decent, but not as outstanding as his Test figures.

Cummins took three wickets in a match in two of his first five T20I appearances for the Baggy Greens, but has not done so since and he may find wickets hard to come by in unhelpful conditions at the T20 World Cup, although he is certain to remain hard to get away.

Mitchell Starc - 4.00

Left-armer Starc took three wickets in three matches at the last T20 World Cup - the same wicket tally as Cummins - but heads into this tournament having shown exactly what he can do at the recent IPL.

Starc took 17 wickets as Kolkata Knight Riders were crowned champions and the veteran Aussie played a leading role, especially in the knockout stages of the tournament.

He took out three key batters in the eight-wicket Qualifier win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, before dismissing Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi in the Final, a rematch with Sunrisers which also ended in an eight-wicket victory for KKR.

Starc has hinted that his future may lie more in franchise cricket around the world, so he will be eager to impress and is the leading Aussie wicket-taker at T20 World Cups, with 27 wickets from 20 matches played.

Josh Hazlewood - 5.00

Hazlewood is perhaps overshadowed by pace-bowling team-mates Cummins and Starc, but there is no doubt that he is a genuine world-class performer in his own right and may well outperform his colleagues at this tournament.

He heads into the T20 World Cup slightly undercooked in the format as he did not feature in the Indian Premier League, but Hazlewood has an outstanding record in 20-over international cricket.

61 wickets taken in 45 matches to date at an average of 21.37 and an economy rate of 7.68 is outstanding, with his nagging accuracy and out-and-out pace at times proving a big advantage in the toughest format for bowlers.

Hazlewood took 11 wickets as Australia triumphed at the 2021 T20 World Cup, finishing with a higher tally at a lower average and a better economy rate than either of Starc or Cummins.

Other contenders

Nathan Ellis - 9.00
Glenn Maxwell - 9.00
Marcus Stoinis - 9.00
Ashton Agar - 10.00
Cameron Green - 11.00
Mitchell Marsh - 13.00