Most Wickets in Asia Cup

Updated - 28 Sep 2023, 12:27 PM

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Most wickets in Asia Cup. Asia Cup is the only continental championship in the game of cricket. As the name makes it very clear, the tournament is played by the Asian teams and the winner of the competition is crowned as the champion of the continent. The first-ever edition of the tournament was played in 1984 in the United Arab Emirates. Since then, 14 more editions of the competitions have been played so far with the last one taking place in 2022.

Most Wickets in Asia Cup

In the inaugural edition of the tournament, former India allrounder Ravi Shastri was the highest wicket-taker. The former India coach finished the campaign with 4 wickets from 2 games. His compatriot Madan Lal and Sri Lanka‘s Arjuna Ranatunga were second and third-highest wicket-takers respectively.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1984

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Econ.

Ave.

BBI

S/R

4WI

5WI

Ravi Shastri

2

2

4

17

3.11

13.25

3/40

25.5

0

0

Madan Lal

2

2

3

14

2.28

10.66

3/11

28

0

0

Arjuna Ranatunga

2

1

3

10

3.8

12.66

3/38

20

0

0

Chetan Sharma

2

2

3

15

2.66

13.33

3/22

30

0

0

Roger Binny

2

2

3

16.4

3.48

19.33

3/33

33.3

0

0

In the second edition, Pakistan’s Abdul Qadir was the highest wicket-taker. He finished the competition with 9 wickets from 3 games followed by Sri Lanka’s Kaushik Amalean and Ravi Ratnayeke. Both Amalean and Ratnayeke picked up 7 wickets.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1986

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Econ.

Ave.

BBI

S/R

4WI

5WI

Abdul Qadir

3

3

9

24.2

2.91

7.88

3/15

16.2

0

0

Kaushik Amalean

3

3

7

25

3.64

13

4/46

21.4

1

0

Ravi Ratnayeke

3

3

7

26

4.73

17.57

3/32

22.22

0

0

Wasim Akram

3

3

4

22.2

2.59

14.5

4/19

33.5

1

0

Manzoor Elahi

3

3

4

23

3.04

17.5

3/22

34.5

0

0

Arjuna Ranatunga

3

3

4

27

3

20.25

2/17

40.5

0

0

Zakir Khan

3

3

4

19

5.1

24.25

3/34

28.5

0

0

In the third edition, Arshad Ayub was the highest wicket-taker with 9 wickets to his name. He was followed by Kapila Wijegunawardene and Ravi Ratnayeke who finished the tournament with 8 and 7 wickets respectively.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1988

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Ave.

Econ.

BBI

4WI

5WI

Arshad Ayub

4

4

9

36

13.33

3.33

5/21

0

1

Kapila Wijegunawardene

4

4

8

32

16.5

4.12

4/49

1

0

Ravi Ratnayeke

4

4

7

34

18.85

3.88

4/23

1

0

Kapil Dev

4

4

6

28.2

16.5

3.49

2/16

0

0

Abdul Qadir

3

3

6

26

17

3.92

3/27

0

0

In the 1990/91 edition of the continental championship, legendary former India skipper Kapil Dev was the highest wicket-taker. The World Cup-winning captain finished the competition with 9 wickets, ahead of compatriot Atul Wassan and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Ratnayke.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1990/91

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Ave.

Econ.

BBI

4WI

5WI

Kapil Dev

3

3

9

26.2

10.66

3.64

4/31

1

0

Atul Wassan

3

3

5

27

20.8

3.85

3/28

0

0

Rumesh Ratnayake

2

2

4

14.5

14.5

3.91

3/24

0

0

Sanath Jayasuriya

3

3

3

20

30.33

4.55

2/39

0

0

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1993

The 1993 Asia Cup had to be canceled due to the political tension between India and Pakistan. It was due to be held in Pakistan.

In the 1995 edition of the continental championship, former India spin spearhead Anil Kumble finished the competition as the highest wicket-taker. He finished the tournament with a total of 7 wickets ahead of compatriot Venkatesh Prasad and Aaqib Javed who picked up 6 and 5 wickets respectively.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1995

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Econ.

Ave.

BBI

S/R

4WI

5WI

Anil Kumble

4

4

7

36

3.86

19.85

2/23

20.5

0

0

Venkatesh Prasad

3

3

6

28

4

18.66

3/37

19.5

0

0

Aaqib Javed

2

2

5

19

2.52

9.6

5/19

30

0

1

Saiful Islam

3

3

5

22

4.54

20

4/36

19.2

1

0

Muttiah Muralitharan

3

3

5

28.2

3.91

22.2

4/23

26.4

1

0

In the 1997 edition of the Asia Cup, former India fast-bowler Venkatesh Prasad was the highest wicket-taker. He picked up 7 wickets in 4 games. Former Pakistan spin spearhead Saqlain Mushtaq and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya were second and third in the list with 6 wickets each.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 1997

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Econ.

Ave.

BBI

S/R

4WI

5WI

Venkatesh Prasad

4

4

7

24

6.07

17

4/17

20.5

1

0

Saqlain Mushtaq

3

2

6

19.3

6.53

12.66

5/38

19.5

0

1

Sanath Jayasuriya

4

3

6

30

6.27

24.5

4/49

30

1

0

Robin Singh

4

3

5

16

6.1

13.6

3/13

19.2

0

0

Chaminda Vaas

3

3

5

22

7.57

19.4

2/32

26.4

0

0

Former Pakistan allrounder Abdul Razzaq was the highest wicket-taker in the 2000 edition. He picked up 8 wickets in 3 games. After him, Azhar Mahmood, Ajit Agarkar, and Arshad Khan picked up 5 wickets each.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2000

Player

Matches

Innings

Wickets

Overs

Econ.

Ave.

BBI

S/R

4WI

5WI

Abdul Razzaq

3

3

8

19.2

3.82

9.25

4/29

14.5

1

0

Azhar Mahmood

4

4

5

30

3.53

21.2

3/24

36

0

0

Ajit Agarkar

3

3

5

30

4.63

27.8

2/47

36

0

0

Arshad Khan

4

4

5

38

3.68

28

2/42

45.6

0

0

Wasim Akram

3

3

4

20

4.05

20.25

2/38

30

0

0

In the 2004 Asia Cup, former India allrounder Irfan Pathan topped the wicket-taking charts. In 6 matches, he picked up a record 14 wickets. He was followed by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Nuwan Zoysa who picked up 12 and 10 wickets respectively.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2004

Player

Matches

Balls

Wickets

5WI

Irfan Pathan

6

313

14

0

Sachin Tendulkar

5

192

12

0

Nuwan Zoysa

5

264

10

0

Shoaib Malik

5

241

9

0

Mohammad Sami

5

253

8

0

In the 2008 edition, former Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis was the highest wicket-taker. He picked up 17 wickets in 5 innings followed by his legendary compatriot Muttiah Muralitharan and Pakistan’s Sohail Tanvir who picked up 11 and 10 wickets respectively.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2008

Player

Innings

Wickets

Runs

Overs

BBI

Economy

Average

5WI

Ajantha Mendis

5

17

145

42

6/13

3.45

8.52

2

Muthiah Muralidaran

5

11

184

48

5/31

3.83

16.72

1

Sohail Tanvir

5

10

241

42

5/48

5.73

24.1

1

Iftikhar Anjum

5

9

210

43.4

3/51

4.8

23.33

0

RP Singh

5

7

239

43

3/67

5.55

34.14

0

Abdur Razzak

5

7

247

46.2

3/20

5.33

35.28

0

In the 2010 edition, former Sri Lanka pace spearhead Lasith Malinga was the highest wicket-taker. He picked up 9 wickets in 3 matches with the help of 1 five-wicket haul. He was followed by Indian trio Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan, and Praveen Kumar who picked up 6 wickets each.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2010

Player

Mat

Overs

Wkts

BBI

Ave

Econ

SR

4WI

5WI

Lasith Malinga

3

28.2

9

5/34

14

4.44

18.8

0

1

Ashish Nehra

3

22

6

4/40

21

5.72

22

1

0

Zaheer Khan

4

29.3

6

2/36

24.66

5.01

29.5

0

0

Praveen Kumar

4

34

6

3/53

25

4.41

34

0

0

Farveez Maharoof

3

24

5

5/42

27.2

5.66

28.8

0

1

In the 2010 edition of the continental championship, Pakistan’s fast bowler Umar Gul was the highest wicket-taker. He picked up 9 wickets in 4 matches, followed by compatriots Saeed Ajmal and Aizaz Cheema who picked up 8 wickets respectively.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2012

Player

Matches

Wickets

Runs

Average

SR

BBI

Economy

5WI

Umar Gul

4

9

208

23.111

24

3/58

5.778

0

Saeed Ajmal

4

8

161

20.125

28.25

3/27

4.274

0

Aizaz Cheema

4

8

196

24.5

24.75

4/43

5.939

1

Abdur Razzak

4

6

154

25.667

40

2/26

3.85

0

Mashrafe Mortaza

4

6

177

29.5

39.833

2/44

4.444

0

In 2014, Lasith Malinga and Saeed Ajmal topped the wicket-taking charts in the Asia Cup. The duo finished the competition with 11 wickets to their name followed by Ajantha Mendis, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Mohammed Shami who picked up 9 wickets each.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2014

Player

Matches

Wickets

Overs

Runs

Econ.

Ave.

BBI

4WI

5WI

Lasith Malinga

4

11

34.5

189

5.42

17.18

5/52

0

2

Saeed Ajmal

5

11

49

202

4.12

18.36

3/26

0

0

Ajantha Mendis

3

9

26

126

4.84

14

4/60

1

0

Ravichandran Ashwin

4

9

39.4

167

4.21

18.55

3/31

0

0

Mohammed Shami

4

9

37.2

230

6.16

25.55

4/50

1

0

In the 2016 edition which was the first-ever T20I format of the continental championship, UAE’s Amjad Javed created history.

He became the first bowler from his country to finish the tournament with the highest number of wickets. He picked up 12 wickets, followed by Bangladesh’s Al-Amin Hossain and Mohammad Naveed who picked up 11 wickets each.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2016

Player

Mat

Wkts

BBI

Ave

Econ

SR

4WI

5WI

Amjad Javed

7

12

3/25

14.08

7.34

11.5

12/30

0

Al-Amin Hossain

5

11

3/25

12.18

7.96

9.1

12/30

0

Mohammad Naveed

7

11

3/14

13.18

5.24

15

12/30

0

Mohammad Amir

4

7

3/18

11.57

5.06

13.7

12/30

0

Nuwan Kulasekara

4

7

3/10

13.57

6.33

12.8

12/30

0

In 2018, Rashid Khan became the first bowler from Afghanistan to finish Asia Cup as the highest wicket-taker. He along with Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman and India’s Kuldeep Yadav picked up 10 wickets each in 5 innings.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2018

Player

Innings

Wickets

Overs

BBI

Econ.

Rashid Khan

5

10

46.1

46/3

3.72

Mustafizur Rahman

5

10

42

45/4

4.4

Kuldeep Yadav

5

10

58

45/3

4.08

Jasprit Bumrah

4

8

34.5

37/3

3.67

Ravindra Jadeja

4

7

35

29/4

4.45

In the 2022 Asia Cup, India fast-bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar picked up the most wickets in the tournament. He picked up 11 wickets and was followed by Wanindu Hasaranga who picked up 8 9 wickets.

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2022

Player

Innings

Wickets

Runs

Overs

BBI

Econ.

Ave.

5WI

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

5

11

115

19

5/4

6.05

10.45

1

Wanindu Hasaranga

6

9

170

23

3/21

7.39

18.88

0

Mohammad Nawaz

6

8

110

18.4

3/5

5.89

13.75

0

Shadab Khan

5

8

113

18.4

4/8

6.05

14.12

0

Haris Rauf

6

8

153

20

3/29

7.65

19.12

0

Most wickets in Asia Cup 2023

(The list will be updated when Asia Cup 2023 gets underway.)

Year Wise List of Most Wickets In Asia Cup

Edition

Player

Team

Year

Wickets

1st

Ravi Shastri

India

1984

4

2nd

Abdul Qadir

Pakistan

1986

9

3rd

Arshad Ayub

India

1988

9

4th

Kapil Dev

India

1990-91

9

5th

Anil Kumble

India

1995

7

6th

Venkatesh Prasad

India

1997

7

7th

Abdul Razzaq

Pakistan

2000

8

8th

Irfan Pathan

India

2004

14

9th

Ajantha Mendis

Sri Lanka

2008

17

10th

Lasith Malinga

Sri Lanka

2010

9

11th

Umar Gul

Pakistan

2012

9

12th

Lasith Malinga, Saeed Ajmal

Sri Lanka, Pakistan

2014

11

13th

Al-Amin Hossain

Bangladesh

2016

11

14th

Rashid Khan, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India

2018

10

15th

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India

2022

11

Coming to the list of most wickets in the Asia Cup, the record is held by former Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan who picked up 30 wickets. He is followed by his compatriots Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis who picked up 29 and 26 wickets respectively. Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal and Sri Lanka’s Chaminda Vaas complete the top five.

Most Wickets In Asia Cup (ODI Format)

Player

Team

Matches

Wickets

BBI

Ave

Econ

SR

4WI

5WI

Muttiah Muralidaran

Sri Lanka

24

30

5/31

28.83

3.75

46

1

1

Lasith Malinga

Sri Lanka

14

29

5/34

20.55

4.65

26.5

1

3

Ajantha Mendis

Sri Lanka

8

26

6/13

10.42

3.98

15.6

2

2

Saeed Ajmal

Pakistan

12

25

3/26

19.4

4.21

27.6

0

0

Chaminda Vaas

Sri Lanka

19

23

3/30

27.78

4.19

39.7

0

0

Irfan Pathan

India

12

22

4/32

27.5

5.54

29.7

1

0

Sanath Jayasuriya

Sri Lanka

25

22

4/49

30.31

4.48

40.5

1

0

Abdur Razzak

Bangladesh

18

22

3/17

36.18

4.67

46.4

0

0

Ravindra Jadeja

India

14

19

4/29

26.57

4.34

36.6

2

0

Shakib Al Hasan

Bangladesh

13

19

4/42

32.73

4.87

40.3

1

0

Mashrafe Mortaza

Bangladesh

19

18

2/25

48.22

5.69

50.8

0

0

Abdul Qadir

Pakistan

8

17

3/15

14.76

3.62

24.4

0

0

Sachin Tendulkar

India

23

17

3/21

21.41

4.76

26.9

0

0

Wasim Akram

Pakistan

12

16

4/19

18.56

3.22

34.5

1

0

Abdul Razzaq

Pakistan

11

16

4/29

20.18

4.28

28.2

1

0

Kapil Dev

India

7

15

4/31

13

3.56

21.8

1

0

Ravi Ratnayeke

Sri Lanka

9

15

4/23

21

4.31

29.2

1

0

Nuwan Zoysa

Sri Lanka

8

14

3/29

19.78

4.01

29.5

0

0

Ravichandran Ashwin

India

7

14

3/31

22.71

4.63

29.4

0

0

Umar Gul

Pakistan

11

14

3/58

35.35

5.8

36.5

0

0

The most wickets in Asia Cup list in the T20I format is headed by India pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The right-arm pacer has so far picked up 11 wickets in 5 games, followed by Wanindu Hasaranga who has picked up 9 wickets. Pakistani trio Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, and Haris Rauf complete the top 5 with 8 wickets each.

Most Wickets In Asia Cup (T20I Format)

Player

Team

Matches

Wickets

BBI

Ave

Econ

SR

4WI

5WI

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

India

5

11

5/4

10.45

6.05

1/9

1

1

Wanindu Hasaranga

Sri Lanka

6

9

3/21

18.88

7.39

1/14

0

0

Mohammad Nawaz

Pakistan

6

8

3/5

13.75

5.89

1/13

0

0

Shadab Khan

Pakistan

5

8

4/8

14.12

6.05

1/13

1

0

Haris Rauf

Pakistan

6

8

3/29

19.12

7.65

1/14

0

0

Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Afghanistan

5

7

3/16

15.85

5.55

1/16

0

0

Naseem Shah

Pakistan

5

7

2/7

19.71

7.66

1/14

0

0

Chamika Karunaratne

Sri Lanka

6

7

2/27

20.71

9.06

1/12

0

0

Pramod Madushan

Sri Lanka

2

6

4/34

9.16

8.91

6.1

1

0

Rashid Khan

Afghanistan

5

6

3/22

21.83

6.55

1/19

0

0

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan

5

6

3/11

25.33

8.36

1/17

0

0

Dilshan Madushanka

Sri Lanka

6

6

3/24

25.83

7.75

1/19

0

0

Maheesh Theekshana

Sri Lanka

6

6

2/21

27

6.75

1/23

0

0

Fareed Ahmad

Afghanistan

2

5

3/31

17.6

11

1/8

0

0

Arshdeep Singh

India

5

5

2/33

30.2

8.62

21

0

0

Hardik Pandya

India

3

4

3/25

26

8.66

1/17

0

0

Yuzvendra Chahal

India

4

4

3/34

31.75

7.93

24

0

0

Mohammad Hasnain

Pakistan

4

4

2/21

33.5

8.93

1/21

0

0

Ebadot Hossain

Bangladesh

1

3

3/51

17

12.75

8

0

0

Naveen-ul-Haq

Afghanistan

3

3

2/40

31.33

8.54

22

0

0

Most wickets in Asia Cup FAQs:

Q: Who has the most wickets in Asia Cup as a fast bowler?

A: The record of picking up the most wickets in the Asia Cup as a fast-bowler is held by Lasith Malinga. He picked up 29 wickets in the continental championship. In the T20I format, the record is held by India’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Q: Who has the most runs in Asia Cup history?

A: The record for most runs in Asia Cup history is held by former Sri Lanka opener and skipper Sanath Jayasuriya.

Q: Who has most wickets in Asia Cup 2022?

A: Bhuvneshwar Kumar had the most wickets in Asia Cup 2022, picking up a total of 11 wickets.