The concept of death overs and specialist bowlers during those overs is a relatively new concept in cricket. With T20 cricket bringing the importance of match-ups to the fore, the total number of overs in a game is also divided wisely.
While the last five overs are considered the death overs in T20 cricket where the batsmen go all gung-ho, the death overs in ODI cricket are the last ten overs. Regardless of the batting team starting fast or slow, a side gets a proper idea of a competitive target by the time they approach the 40th over. It is very much crucial for ODI World Cup betting, to understand the potential of death over bowlers.
This process isn’t alien to the bowling team either, who ensures to preserve overs of their specialist death bowlers to go for one last round in the last ten overs of the ODI. The ongoing ODI World Cup 2023 has seen the top teams assembling a squad with one genuine death bowler on their side.
Death Bowlers in 2023 ODI World Cup: Top 10
Below we rank the top 10 death bowlers of the ODI World Cup 2023 based on their performance in the World Cup 2023.
1.Jasprit Bumrah – India
With the Indian cricket team in pressure to carry the ongoing trend of the hosts lifting the World Cup title, cherry-picking their death bowler was a crucial part of that mission. With the batsmen on the side well-established and acclimatized to the conditions, it was the bowlers who needed workload management. Luckily, India have their premier bowler Jaspriut Bumrah back after a long injury after missing out on big tournaments like Asia Cup 2023 and the ODI series against Australia preceding the World Cup. Bumrah’s economy rate is 5.87 in 59 death-over bowling spells, where he has taken 61 wickets. He is an easy number 1 pick.
2.Haris Rauf – Pakistan
With the World Cup returning to the subcontinent following the hosting of Australia and England, it will be a great opportunity for one-time World Cup champion Pakistan to have another go at the elite trophy. Having failed to qualify for the knockout stages in 2015 and 2019 WC editions, Pakistan’s supreme pacers Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali are raring to make a mark on the world stage. However, their death over specialist would be Rauf who has a whopping 22 wickets bowling in the last 10 overs in the 31 ODIs he has bowled in.
3. Mitchell Starc – Australia
After a long time, Australia are coming to a World Cup not counted among the top title contenders. The 2015 WC champions have been in a slump with a transition very much needed. With 2023 WC most likely to be the last one for the likes of David Warner, Steve Smith and many more, the Aussies would want to be the dark horse. And their main weapon on that mission would be left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc. The veteran has 59 wickets to his name in death overs with an economy of 6.41.
4. Trent Boult – New Zealand
The finalists of the last two ODI World Cups and easily one of the favorites in the 2023 World Cup, New Zealand has an advantage that Pakistan and Australia’s death bowlers don’t – experience. While Rauf is ineligible to play in IPL and Starc has voluntarily chosen not to play in it, New Zealand’s premier bowler Trent Boult has been a regular fixture in India’s celebrated T20 league.Not only is he the highest wicket-taker for the Kiwis in World Cups, but also their option at the death. Boult has 55 wickets in 67 innings with an economy of 7.16 while bowling in the death overs.
5. Reece Topley – England
Leaking runs during the last 10 overs has been a familiar pattern for defending champions England over the last few years. Their 2019 WC win was far from convincing and the chink in their armour could be found out this time. Lack of proper bowling options has led England to try out rookie Reece Topley in the death overs. With IPL experience and the bowler sticking to tight lines in order to check runs, Topley has 38 wickets in 26 ODIs and will be England’s biggest hope.
6. Kagiso Rabada – South Africa
South Africa is another dark horse in the 2023 World Cup with a good mix of youth and experience and a great captain in Temba Bavuma leading the side. However, if they have to stun everyone this World Cup, they have to utilize Kagiso Rabada well. The veteran bowler has likened to the Indian conditions since his first tour there in 2015. He has since become the Proteas’ main bowler in the death overs, taking 45 wickets in the end with an economy rate of 6.66.
7. Maheesh Theekshana – Sri Lanka
Since the 2011 World Cup final, the Sri Lanka cricket team has undergone a massive transition with the likes of Mutiah Muralidaran, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Lasith Malinga and many more retiring from the side. Among their young crop of players have been some outstanding talents like spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Theekshana’s break-out moment was IPL 2022 where he took 12 scalps in nine matches and he looks like the torch bearer of Lanka’s rich spin legacy..He took 21 wickets for Sri Lanka during the 2023 WC qualifiers and has so far claimed eight scalps in death overs at an economy rate of 5.74.
8. Rashid Khan – Afghanistan
Afghanistan’s meteoric rise in cricket has been a fairytale and amidst this stand their biggest superstar – Rashid Khan.The leg-break bowler has been accustomed to India like no other overseas player given his successful outings in IPL, where he has 139 wickets in 109 matches. Rashid’s bowling is designed for batsmen to fail if they go big against him, which makes him the one of the most dangerous bowlers in the last 10 overs. The spinner has 57 of his wickets coming in death overs at an economy of 5.33, from his tally of 172 ODI scalps.
9. Mustafizur Rahman – Bangladesh
Despite Mustafizur Rahman now being just a shadow of his former self, he is still Bangladesh’s best option coming to the World Cup. His main weapon is his variations as he is adept in combining his spells with bouncers, yorkers, slower balls and cutters to keep the batsmen guessing. Rahman has 69 wickets to his name while bowling in the death overs at an economy rate of 6.37.
10. Ryan Klein – The Netherlands
Ryan Klein turned heads during the 2023 World Cup qualifiers as he took nine wickets in six games at an economy rate of 4.40. His wicket-taking ability is further improved with his eye to check runs as was seen in the qualifier against USA, where he took just two wickets in nine overs but conceded just 31 runs. Klein has bowled just 117 balls in death overs, taking five wickets and conceding 126 runs at an economy rate of 6.46.
Concluding Thoughts
These bowlers were consistent during the death overs, cutting down the run rate of the opponent teams. They will definitely make a mark for their respective teams.
