Asia Cup 2023 is all set to begin on 30 August and this time, it is going to take place in the ODI format. In the last 15 editions, the tournament took place in the 50-over format 13 times while the rest of the two times, it took place in the 20-20 format. Hence, over the years, fans had the opportunity to see some top bowlers from top Asian sides in this tournament, especially in the ODIs.
Muttiah Muralitharan tops the chart with 30 wickets in 24 matches. He managed to take those wickets at an economy of 3.75 and an average of 28.83 from 1995 to 2010. The Sri Lanka legend managed to take four-fer and fifer one each. His best figure of five wickets for 31 runs came against Bangladesh in a ‘Super 4’ clash of the 2008 Asia Cup.
Another Sri Lanka great, Lasith Malinga is in the second spot with 29 wickets in 14 games. With his slinging action, he managed those scalps at an economy of 4.65 and an average of 20.55 from 2004 to 2018. However, Malinga managed three fifers while only one four-fer. His best figure of five wickets for 34 runs came against Pakistan in the first game of the 2010 Asia Cup.
Again, it is a spinner from Sri Lanka who is in the third spot. Ajantha Mendis played the least number of games among these players but still, managed to be in this spot. In just eight games, Ajantha Mendis grabbed 26 wickets, at an economy of 3.98 and a staggering average of 10.42. Mendis managed four-fer and fifer twice each. His best figure of 6 wickets for 13 runs came against India in the 2008 Asia Cup final.
Who is the Highest Wicket-Taker For India?
Team India are the most successful team in the history of this tournament with seven titles. But interestingly, there is no bowler in the top five list who has taken the most number of wickets in the ODI format of this tournament overall all these years. Irfan Pathan is in the sixth position with 22 wickets in 12 matches, at an average of 27.50 and an economy of 5.54.
In the fourth spot, Saeed Ajmal is there with 25 wickets in 12 games from 2008 to 2014. Ajmal took those wickets at an economy of 4.21 and an average of 19.40. His best figure of three wickets for 26 runs came against Sri Lanka in the 2014 Asia Cup final. In fifth place, another Sri Lanka legend, Chaminda Vaas is there with 23 wickets in 19 matches, at an economy of 4.19 and an average of 27.78 from 1995 to 2008.
TOP WICKET TAKERS in ASIA CUP 2023:
| No | Bowler | Team | Wkts | Mat | Ovs | BBI | Balls | Avg | Ecn | R | 4-Fers | 5-Fers |
| 1 | Matheesha Pathirana | SL | 11 | 6 | 39.5 | 4/32 | 239 | 23.55 | 6.5 | 259 | — | — |
| 2 | Dunith Wellalage | SL | 10 | 6 | 40.2 | 5/40 | 242 | 17.4 | 4.31 | 174 | — | 1 |
| 3 | Mohammed Siraj | IND | 10 | 5 | 26.2 | 6/21 | 158 | 12.2 | 4.63 | 122 | — | 1 |
| 4 | Shaheen Afridi | PAK | 10 | 5 | 41 | 4/35 | 246 | 23.5 | 5.73 | 235 | 1 | — |
| 5 | Kuldeep Yadav | IND | 9 | 5 | 28.3 | 5/25 | 171 | 11.44 | 3.61 | 103 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Haris Rauf | PAK | 9 | 4 | 25 | 4/19 | 150 | 13.33 | 4.8 | 120 | — | — |
| 7 | Taskin Ahmed | BAN | 9 | 4 | 33.3 | 4/44 | 201 | 19.11 | 5.13 | 172 | — | — |
| 8 | Maheesh Theekshana | SL | 8 | 5 | 45.1 | 3/69 | 271 | 29.13 | 5.16 | 233 | — | — |
| 9 | Shoriful Islam | BAN | 7 | 4 | 29 | 3/36 | 174 | 18.71 | 4.52 | 131 | — | — |
| 10 | Naseem Shah | PAK | 7 | 4 | 28.5 | 3/34 | 173 | 20 | 4.86 | 140 | — | — |
| 11 | Hardik Pandya | IND | 6 | 5 | 20.2 | 3/3 | 122 | 11.33 | 3.34 | 68 | — | — |
| 12 | Ravindra Jadeja | IND | 6 | 6 | 35 | 3/40 | 210 | 25.33 | 4.34 | 152 | — | — |
| 13 | Shadab Khan | PAK | 6 | 5 | 41.4 | 4/27 | 250 | 40.83 | 5.88 | 245 | — | — |
| 14 | Shardul Thakur | IND | 5 | 4 | 18 | 3/65 | 108 | 21.4 | 5.94 | 107 | — | — |
| 15 | Gulbadin Naib | AFG | 5 | 2 | 18 | 4/60 | 108 | 23.6 | 6.56 | 118 | — | — |
Here is the Full List of Top Wicket Takers in Asia Cup History:
| Player | Team | Period | Match | Overs | Wkts | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w |
| Muthiah Muralitharan | SL | 1995-2010 | 24 | 230.2 | 30 | 28.83 | 3.75 | 46 | 1 | 1 |
| Lasith Malinga | SL | 2004-2018 | 14 | 128.1 | 29 | 20.55 | 4.65 | 26.5 | 1 | 3 |
| Ajantha Mendis | SL | 2008-2014 | 8 | 68 | 26 | 10.42 | 3.98 | 15.6 | 2 | 2 |
| Saeed Ajmal | PAK | 2008-2014 | 12 | 115 | 25 | 19.4 | 4.21 | 27.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Chaminda Vaas | SL | 1995-2008 | 19 | 152.2 | 23 | 27.78 | 4.19 | 39.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Abdur Razzak | BAN | 2004-2014 | 18 | 170.2 | 22 | 36.18 | 4.67 | 46.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | SL | 1990-2008 | 25 | 148.5 | 22 | 30.31 | 4.48 | 40.5 | 1 | 0 |
| Irfan Pathan | INDIA | 2004-2012 | 12 | 109.1 | 22 | 27.5 | 5.54 | 29.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | INDIA | 2010-2018 | 14 | 116.1 | 19 | 26.57 | 4.34 | 36.6 | 2 | 0 |
| Shakib Al Hasan | BAN | 2010-2018 | 13 | 127.4 | 19 | 32.73 | 4.87 | 40.3 | 1 | 0 |
Also Check: ASIA CUP WINNERS LIST FROM 1984 – 2023Most Wickets in Asia Cup ODI Format History:
| SI.NO | Player | Runs |
| 1 | Muthiah Muralitharan | 30 |
| 2 | Lasith Malinga | 29 |
| 3 | Ajantha Mendis | 26 |
| 4 | Saeed Ajmal | 25 |
| 5 | Chaminda Vaas | 23 |
