Batsmen score runs for you, but surely the bowlers win you matches by taking wickets at the crucial moments. Just a single delivery is required to dismiss the batter. A lot of great bowling spells have been bowled in the competition since the start. Let us have a look at the Asia Cup’s Top 5 best bowling figures of all time.
Sri Lankan bowlers have enjoyed bowling a lot in the Asia Cup, as out of the top five wicket takers in the Asia Cup, three of them are Sri Lankan bowlers. Muthiah Muralidaran, Lasith Malinga, and Ajantha Mendis are the bowlers. Certainly, Lasith Malinga is the only player to take five wickets three times in a match in the Asia Cup.
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Asia Cup Top 5 best bowling figures of all time
5. Ajantha Mendis (5/22) vs UAE
It was the 6th match of the Asia Cup 2008 when Sri Lanka was playing the United Arab Emirates team in Lahore. Sri Lanka scored 290 runs in their innings and set a target of 291.
In reply, the United Arab Emirates team could only manage to score 148. It was the magic of Ajanta Mendis as he took five wickets just for 22 runs in under seven overs and was also the Man of the Match in this game.
4. Arshad Ayub (5/21) vs Pakistan
It was a game between India and Pakistan at Dhaka in the 1988 Asia Cup, and surely everyone had their eyes on the game. Pakistan were batting first, and Arshad Ayub just trashed their batting line-up.
He picked up the wickets of Ramiz Raja, Aamer Malik, Shoaib Mohammad, Naved Anjum, and Wasim Akram. Pakistan only scored 142 runs, which India easily chased down. Arshad Ayub was the Man of the Match in this game.
3. Aaqib Javed (5/19) vs India
Another India-Pakistan match, but this time it was the 1995 Asia Cup, and the venue was Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Aaqib Javed and his team were defending 267 runs. He bowled nine overs and sent half of the Indian batters to the pavilion.
Aaqib Javed took the wickets of Manoj Prabhakar, Sachin Tendulkar, Mohammad Azharuddin, Vinod Kambli, and Javagal Srinath. He was the Man of the Match in this match.
2. Mohammed Siraj (6/21) vs Sri Lanka
It was one of the best spells that a bowler has bowled in an Asia Cup, and what made it more special was the occasion, as it was the final of the Asia Cup 2023. In his second over, Mohammed Siraj took four wickets, surely missing a well-deserved hat-trick twice.
He also put his name in the history book by leveling to take the fastest five-wicket haul in ODIs, 16 balls. Siraj was the best player in the match, and with his six wickets, Sri Lanka were all out on 50 runs.
1. Ajantha Mendis (6/13) vs India
This was the best bowling figures in the Asia Cup and one of the very best spells in cricket. Just to remind you, this was the 2008 Asia Cup final. Sri Lanka scored 273 in the innings and set a target of 274.
The second and unplayable Ajantha Mendis is how we can define his six-wicket spells. The Indian batters had no idea what was coming their way. Mendis took the wickets of Virender Sehwag, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, Irfan Pathan, and RP Singh.
Top 10 List for Asia Cup best bowling figures of all time
This list covers the best performances across both the ODI and T20 formats of the Asia Cup cricket tournament, highlighting exceptional bowling spells by notable players.
| Rank | Player | Bowling Figures | Opponent | Year | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ajantha Mendis | 6/13 | India | 2008 | ODI |
| 2 | Mohammed Siraj | 6/21 | Sri Lanka | 2023 | ODI |
| 3 | Aaqib Javed | 5/19 | India | 1995 | ODI |
| 4 | Arshad Ayub | 5/21 | Pakistan | 1989 | ODI |
| 5 | Ajantha Mendis | 5/22 | UAE | 2008 | ODI |
| 6 | Kuldeep Yadav | 5/25 | Pakistan | 2023 | ODI |
| 7 | Muttiah Muralitharan | 5/31 | Bangladesh | 2008 | ODI |
| 8 | Lasith Malinga | 5/34 | Pakistan | 2010 | ODI |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 5/4 | Afghanistan | 2022 | T20 |
| 10 | Shadab Khan | 4/8 | Hong Kong | 2022 | T20 |
Also Check: Who are the top 5 leading wicket-takers in Asia Cup history?
