Most Wickets In One Edition Of Asia Cup
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The Asia Cup tournament has largely been tough on the bowlers. It has traditionally been a batters friendly tournament. Batsmen mainly from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India have feasted on the subcontinental wickets. But there have been few bowlers who have stood out. As the cricketing cliche goes, ‘batters win you games, bowling wins you tournaments’. It is often the bowlers who decisively change the fortunes of a game. There have been many standout Asian bowlers who have left their mark in the Asia Cup. Let us look at details on Most Wickets In One Edition Of Asia Cup.
We look at bowlers with wickets in a single edition of the Asia Cup:
#5 Lasith Malinga – 11
It isn’t a surprise to see one of the Lankan greats to feature on this list. Lasith Malinga was a wonderful white ball bowler. He seamlessly took over the mantle of leading the Lankan pace attack after the retirement of Chaminda Vaas. Malinga is known for his toe-crushing yorkers but he was more than just a one-trick pony. He had a bag full of tricks to surprise the batters. Malinga topped the wicket-taking charts in the 2014 edition picking up 11 wickets in just 4 games at a top average of 17.18. He is the one of the two bowlers to pick up two five-fers in a single edition.
#4 Muttiah Muralitharan – 11
He has won multiple championships for Sri Lanka all on his own. Muttiah Muralitharan takes the fourth spot on this list for his skilled display in the 2008 edition. But he didn’t finish with most wickets that year despite grabbing 11 wickets. Sri Lanka comfortably won the 2008 Asia Cup edition thanks to their spin twins. Murali’s 11 wickets came at an average of 16.72 and a strike rate of 26.18. His economy rate of 3.83 was top draw too!
#3 Sachin Tendulkar – 12
It is the most surprising name on this list. Sachin Tendulkar was a complete cricketer who was always in the game be it batting, bowling, or fielding. He was called the man with the golden arm. Tendulkar was known to break partnerships and effectively played the role of a fifth/sixth bowler. In the 2004 edition of the tournament, he was the second highest wicket taker with 12 scalps to his name. His wickets came at an outstanding average of 12.25 (second best in the tournament’s history).
#2 Irfan Pathan – 14
Indian bowlers dominated the bowling charts in the 2004 edition. Irfan Pathan topped the charts with 14 wickets to his name that year. He swung the ball viciously to set batsmen up with the new ball. Under slightly helpful conditions, Pathan almost became unplayable. He averaged 16.28 with the ball. His efforts helped India reach the finals of the 2004 Asia Cup.
#1 Ajantha Mendis – 17
Not many players have had such a telling impact as Ajantha Mendis in the 2008 edition. Sri Lanka was so confident of his abilities that they chose to rest him for the final league game against India. It proved to be a tactical masterstroke as Mendis spewed venom on all the Indian batters to return with figures of 6-13 in the finals.
Mendis quite naturally went on to win the Player of the Tournament award. His 17 wickets in 5 game remains a tournament record. Mendis picked up a 4-fer and 2 five-fers, a feat that remains unmatched. His bowling average of 8.52 is etched in the record books!
