When Asia Cup bowling and wicket-taking are concerned, the legendary Sri Lankan cricketer and a holder of most bowling records, Muttiah Muralitharan, gets the top position.
Sanath Jayasuriya, who tops the batting records in the tournament, also finds a place in the top ten bowlers of the Asia cup.
Let’s get to the top ten wicket-takers in the Asia Cup tournament.
Most Wickets in Asia Cup (ODIs)
| BOWLERS | WICKETS | INNINGS | BBI | 5-WKT HAUL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muttiah Muralitharan (SL) | 30 | 24 | 31/5 | 1 |
| Lasith Malinga (SL) | 29 | 14 | 34/5 | 3 |
| Ajantha Mendis (SL) | 26 | 8 | 13/6 | 2 |
| Saeed Ajmal (PAK) | 25 | 12 | 26/3 | 0 |
| Ravindra Jadeja (IND) | 25 | 18 | 29/4 | 0 |
| Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 23 | 19 | 30/3 | 0 |
| Irfan Pathan (IND) | 22 | 12 | 32/4 | 0 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya (SL) | 22 | 21 | 49/4 | 0 |
| Abdur Razzak (PAK) | 22 | 18 | 17/3 | 0 |
| Shakib Al Hasan (BAN) | 22 | 18 | 42/4 | 0 |
Most Wickets in Asia Cup (T20s)
| BOWLERS | WICKETS | INNINGS | BBI | 4-WKT HAUL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar (IND) | 13 | 6 | 4/5 | 2 |
| Amjad Javed (UAE) | 12 | 7 | 25/3 | 0 |
| Al-Amin Hossain (BAN) | 11 | 5 | 25/3 | 0 |
| Mohammad Naveed (UAE) | 11 | 7 | 14/3 | 0 |
| Hardik Pandya (IND) | 11 | 8 | 8/3 | 0 |
| Rashid Khan (AFG) | 11 | 8 | 22/3 | 0 |
| Hasaranga de Silva (SL) | 9 | 6 | 21/3 | 0 |
| Shadab Khan (PAK) | 8 | 5 | 8/4 | 1 |
| Haris Rauf (PAK) | 8 | 6 | 29/3 | 0 |
| Mohammad Nawaz (PAK) | 8 | 8 | 5/3 | 0 |
Key Stats
One can see the dominance of yesteryear Sri Lankan bowlers in the above list.
Muralitharan has picked 30 Wickets in Asia Cup, which is the most by any bowler, and 2 other Lankans follow him at No. 2 & 3. These three bowlers add to a total of 6 5-wicket hauls in the tournament.
Check: Most 5-Wicket & 10-Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket [Complete Stats]
The single edition record goes to Mendis, who picked a mighty 17 wickets in the 2008 edition of the Asia Cup, which gained him the Man of the Series trophy that year.
His 13/6 against India in the same year is still the best bowling figure in the tournament.
Must Read: Which team has won the most number of Asia Cup in Cricket?
