Top bowler betting is a bet on which bowler takes the most wickets in an innings, a match or a series, and only wickets credited to a bowler count. When two bowlers finish level, the market's tie rule decides the payout: a runs-conceded tie-break pays one of them in full, while a dead heat halves a two-way tie, so $20 at $4.20 returns $42 instead of $84 (illustrative price).
Online bookmakers write their own top bowler rules. In NSW, a public rule book, the Bookmaker Declared Betting Events Betting Rules, binds the bookmakers authorised there to take sports bets, and its clauses are cited below as read in October 2026. Every bet here goes on before the first ball, and the wider card is mapped in cricket betting.
Which wickets count for the top bowler
The Laws of Cricket decide who owns a wicket. In the Marylebone Cricket Club's edition in force from 1 October 2026, four dismissals carry the line "The bowler does not get credit for the wicket" (Laws 34.5, 37.6, 38.6 and 40.2).
| Dismissal | Credited to a bowler? | Law |
|---|---|---|
| Bowled, caught, leg before wicket (LBW), stumped, hit wicket | Yes | Laws 32, 33, 36, 39 and 35 |
| Run out, including a non-striker who leaves the crease early | No | Laws 38.6 and 38.3 |
| Obstructing the field, hit the ball twice, timed out | No | Laws 37.6, 34.5 and 40.2 |
| Retired out | No | Law 25.4.3 |
So a run out moves no bowler up the table, even off their own delivery. The NSW rules void every top bowler bet on an innings, match or series in which no bowler takes a wicket (clauses 5.2.2.3(d) and (e), and 5.2.2.4(c) and (d)). They also settle Twenty20 markets without super over play unless a market says otherwise (5.2.2.3(h)). The method of dismissal entry explains how each dismissal is given.
Top team bowler, top match bowler and top series wicket taker
The same wickets can top one version of the market and miss another:
| Market | Whose wickets count |
|---|---|
| Top team bowler | One side's bowlers in one innings, or in a Test the innings or match named |
| Top match bowler | Both sides' bowlers across the match |
| Top series or tournament wicket taker | All matches in the series or event |
In a one-day or T20 match cut short by rain, the NSW rules count wickets in the overs actually bowled, provided an official result is declared, and refund the bet otherwise (clause 5.2.2.3(d) and (e)). Over a series, wickets from a match later abandoned still count (clause 5.2.2.1(g)). The NSW rules also make bets all-in unless the bookmaker states otherwise (clause 5.1.1), so under them a bowler ruled out before the first match is a losing bet. Ashes betting covers series markets.
Top bowler rules when two bowlers tie
Wicket tallies are small, so level finishes are easy to reach. Two rule types are common in bookmakers' terms, so check which one yours uses:
- Dead heat, with no tie-break. The return is shared evenly between the bowlers tied. The NSW rules do this where no tie price was offered: the ticket's face value is split by the number of bowlers level and multiplied by the number of places at stake, which is one here (clause 5.1.8).
- Fewest runs conceded, then a dead heat. The bowler with fewer runs against them wins outright, and only a second tie, on runs as well, brings in the dead heat.
Under Law 18.10.3 a bowler is charged with runs off the bat, no balls and wides, but not byes or leg byes.
Example: illustrative figures, not a real match. A T20 innings ends at 8/158. Bowler A takes 2/24 and Bowler B 2/31 from four overs each, Bowlers C, D and E take 1/27, 1/38 and 1/33, one batter is run out and 5 byes and leg byes go to extras. You hold $20 on Bowler A at $4.20 and $20 on Bowler B at $5.00.
| Tie rule | Bowler A, $20 at $4.20 | Bowler B, $20 at $5.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Dead heat | $84 / 2 = $42 (+$22) | $100 / 2 = $50 (+$30) |
| Fewest runs conceded | $84 (+$64): 24 runs beats 31 | $0 (-$20) |
Seven runs turned Bowler A's half return into a full one and Bowler B's into nothing. Had both conceded 24, the dead heat would apply after all. Level batters raise the same question in top batter betting.
Top bowler dead heat payouts
Under a dead heat rule, the more bowlers share the top tally, the smaller each share. With $20 on Bowler A at $4.20, a face value of $84:
| Bowlers level on top | Working | Return | Profit or loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yours alone | $20 x 4.20 | $84.00 | +$64.00 |
| Two | $84 / 2 | $42.00 | +$22.00 |
| Three | $84 / 3 | $28.00 | +$8.00 |
| Five | $84 / 5 | $16.80 | -$3.20 |
Five bowlers on one wicket each is enough for the last row. A dead heat returns at least the stake only if the price divided by the number tied is 1.00 or more, and 4.20 / 5 = 0.84. A multi takes the cut leg by leg: under clause 5.1.9 a $4.20 leg tied two ways goes into the multiplication as $2.10. Dead heat rules works the split through other sports.
Bowlers who do not bowl
A bowler named in the XI can finish without bowling a ball: the captain may not need them, the chase may end early, or rain may cut the overs. The ICC's standard men's conditions cap a bowler at 4 overs in a T20 international and 10 in an ODI (clause 13.9.1 of each), with separate limits for a match shortened by rain (clauses 13.9.2 and 13.9.3). A Test has no cap.
| What happens to your bowler | All-in, the NSW default (5.1.1) | Void if not in the XI | Void if no ball bowled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Left out of the XI | Loses | Void | Void |
| In the XI, never bowls | Loses | Loses | Void |
| Bowls, takes no wicket | Loses | Loses | Loses |
Three cases make the rule bite:
- Team news. Captains name the XI before the toss (ICC T20I conditions, clause 1.2.1), so an all-in bet struck earlier carries the risk that your bowler is left out.
- Concussion. The match referee can approve a like-for-like substitute for a concussed player, and both are recorded as having played (clauses 1.2.7.3 and 1.2.7.9), yet the scorebook credits each wicket to whoever took it.
- The BBL. For BBL|16 a side may name a designated batter and a designated fielder, and neither of them may bowl, although the fielder can keep wicket (Cricket Australia, 14 July 2026). BBL betting covers the other Big Bash conditions.
Pace, spin and the conditions that move top bowler prices
Before the first ball, the market prices who will bowl the most overs and who suits the conditions. Read this as a checklist, not a forecast:
| Condition | Tends to help |
|---|---|
| Grass and moisture early in a match | Seamers with the new ball |
| A hard, bouncy pitch | Fast bowlers |
| Cloud and humid air | Swing bowlers |
| A dry pitch wearing over a multi-day match | Spin, more as the match goes on |
| Dew in a night match | Neither: a wet ball is hard to grip, especially for spin |
New balls favour pace. A Test innings starts with one and another is available after 80 overs (Test clauses 4.3 and 4.4), and an ODI side uses two, one from each end, until over 34 (ODI clause 4.3). In a Test, the bowler expected to bowl most overs in the conditions has the most chances. In a T20, the four-over cap gives five or six bowlers similar chances, so tallies stay small and ties come easily.
Pricing a bowler when ties are likely
Different tie rules make different bets, so compare prices only under the same rule. Under a dead heat:
effective chance = chance of topping alone + chance of a two-way tie / 2 + chance of a three-way tie / 3
Example: illustrative estimates, not a real bowler. You put the chance of topping the tally alone at 16%, of a two-way tie at 9% and of a three-way tie at 3%, so 12% in ties, and the price is $4.50.
| Rule | Working | Effective chance | Fair price | Expected value per $1 at $4.50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead heat | 0.16 + 0.09 / 2 + 0.03 / 3 | 21.5% | $4.65 | 4.50 x 0.215 - 1 = about -3.3% |
| Runs conceded, an economical bowler who wins 70% of their ties | 0.16 + 0.70 x 0.12 | 24.4% | $4.10 | 4.50 x 0.244 - 1 = about +9.8% |
| Runs conceded, an expensive bowler who wins 30% of their ties | 0.16 + 0.30 x 0.12 | 19.6% | $5.10 | 4.50 x 0.196 - 1 = about -11.8% |
A runs-conceded tie-break moves value towards economical bowlers, while a dead heat treats every bowler alike. Counting every tie as a win (28%, a fair $3.57) overrates the bowler, and ignoring ties (16%, $6.25) underrates them. The fair odds calculator takes the margin out of a whole market.
Risk: Betting involves risk. These chances are estimates, and a bet priced above your fair price can still lose, and often does. See responsible gambling for limits and support.
Top bowler mistakes, costed
| Mistake | Cost on the examples above | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Reading a run out off Bowler A's over as a third wicket | You expect $84 and are paid $42 under a dead heat | Count only credited dismissals |
| Assuming a tie pays in full | $42, not $84, on a two-way tie | Read the tie rule first |
| Comparing prices set under different tie rules | $4.50 is about -3.3% under one rule and about +9.8% under another | Match the rules, then the prices |
| An all-in bet struck before the XI is named | The whole $20 if the bowler is left out | Wait for the team |
Comparing top bowler prices across bookmakers
B337's Terminal shows prices from 40+ bookmakers across racing and sports, beside Betfair back and lay. Where a match is on its sports board, bookmakers sit side by side on head to head and on player props where they offer them, with the best available price picked out.
The price alone does not tell you a bookmaker's tie rule, so read each bookmaker's clause before you compare. Prices are read on a repeating cycle and can trail the bookmaker's own, so confirm yours in your account. A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds. Betfair is a trade mark of its owner, and B337 is not affiliated with it.
Risk: Betting involves risk. Taking the higher price lifts the payout on a winning bet only; it cannot make your bowler top the tally, and a five-way dead heat on the $4.20 example pays back less than the stake. There is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.