Top 5 bowling spells of Asia Cup 2023 ft. Mohammed Siraj 

The 16th edition of the Asia Cup culminated on Sunday, September 17, with India winning the coveted silverware. The Men in Blue bulldozed Sri Lanka in the summit clash in Colombo and recorded a ten-wicket win.

Bowling first, India skittled out Sri Lanka for a mere 50 in the first innings, with as many as five Lankan batters registering ducks. India, in reply, took only 37 balls to finish their chase, thus completing their biggest-ever win in ODI cricket (with balls remaining).

The recently concluded Asia Cup 2023 capped off with a lop-sided encounter. However, the tournament proved to be highly entertaining for the fans, with a few games going down to the wire as well.

Barring a couple of games, there were not many high-scoring clashes as well, with bowlers gaining enough help across the venues at the Asia Cup 2023.

Bowlers who used their skills and variations effectively were regularly able to find success in defending their first innings score or restricting the opposition from the get-go throughout the competition.

In this article, we will look at the five best bowling performances in Asia Cup 2023.

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#5 Shaheen Afridi - 4/35 vs India in Group stages

Shaheen Afridi breathed fire vs India [Getty Images]

The only spell from Group stages to feature in this list is of Shaheen Afridi's 4/35 against India. The left-arm pacer made inroads into the Indian top order as he bowled with venom and extracted enough help off the deck in Pallekele.

He first knocked over skipper Rohit Sharma with an inswinging ball, before winning the battle against Virat Kohli. He put the Indian team in deep trouble by sending back Kohli for a mere four runs.

Later, when Hardik Pandya was comfortably placed at 87, he came back to claim his wicket. Additionally, he dismissed the highly able Ravindra Jadeja, which ultimately enabled Pakistan to hold India to a score of 266.

While the match was abandoned due to continuous rain, Afridi's spell earned him plaudits from the fans and pundits.

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#4 Haris Rauf - 4/19 vs Bangladesh in Super Fours

Haris Rauf celebrating vs Bangladesh [Getty Images]

Haris Rauf was dearly missed by Pakistan in their clash against Sri Lanka as the pacer missed out due to an injury. After all, his contributions are of significant importance for the side as witnessed during his fiery spell against Bangladesh.

In the first game of the Super Fours stage, Pakistan faced Bangladesh and bundled them out for 193 in the first innings. Rauf, in particular, proved to be the wrecker-in-chief as he bagged four wickets in six overs while giving away just 19 runs.

The Rawalpindi-born pacer hurried the Bangladeshi batters and made it extremely difficult for them to settle in. Rauf accounted for the wickets of Mohammed Naim (20), Towhid Hridoy (2), Mushfiqur Rahim (64) and Taskin Ahmed (0). Pakistan went on to script a comfortable seven-wicket win in the second innings.

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#3 Kuldeep Yadav - 5/25 vs Pakistan in Super Fours

Kuldeep Yadav - The Player of the Tournament of Asia Cup 2023 [Getty Images]

The Player of the Tournament, Kuldeep Yadav, features on the list as he bagged an impressive 5/25 against arch-rivals Pakistan.

After he failed to pick up any wickets in a group game against Nepal, Kuldeep showcased why he is considered India's first-choice spinner when he wreaked havoc against Pakistan.

After the Men in Blue piled up 356/2 in the first innings, Indian pacers reduced Pakistan to 44/3 before Rohit Sharma handed the ball to Kuldeep in the 18th over.

Turning the ball both ways, Kuldeep single-handedly destroyed the Pakistani middle and lower order. He first sent back Fakhar Zaman before trapping Agha Salman in front of the stumps.

With Pakistan at 96/5, the left-arm chinaman inflicted one wicket in each of his next three overs to win India the game by a hefty margin of 228 runs. Kuldeep ended the innings with 5/25, the third-best ODI bowling figures for India against Pakistan.

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#2 Dunith Wellalage - 5/40 vs India in Super Fours

Dunith Wellalage celebrating KL Rahul's wicket [Getty Images]

Despite facing an embarrassing defeat in the final, Sri Lanka unearthed a gem in the form of Dunith Wellalage in the Asia Cup 2023.

The left-arm spinner ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taking spinner with ten wickets at an average of 17.90. Five of his ten wickets, however, came in a special bowling spell against India.

Wellalage ran through India's top order and put Sri Lanka on top in the first innings of their Super Four clash against the Men in Blue. After India got off to a flying start, courtesy of Rohit Sharma's fifty, Dasun Shanaka handed the ball to Wellalage.

The move changed the complexion of the game as the left-arm spinner bamboozled Shubman Gill on the very first ball. Then, by tricking Virat Kohli in the air, he eventually picked up his second wicket.

Rohit faced Wellalage for the first time in the 16th over, and the young spinner bowled an arm ball that also kept low and disturbed Rohit's timber. Wellalage reduced India from 80/0 to 91/3 in just five overs with his three rapid blows.

When the 20-year-old returned for his second spell, he immediately ended the partnership between KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan by removing the former.

On the very last ball of his 10th over, Wellalage finally accomplished his magical fifer by nudging one past Hardik Pandya. Despite Wellalage's best efforts, his team couldn't snatch two points from India, losing by 41 runs in a crucial encounter.

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#1 Mohammed Siraj - 6/21 vs Sri Lanka in the Final

Mohammed Siraj during his fiery spell vs Sri Lanka [Getty Images]

No surprises here, with Mohammed Siraj's brilliant spell against Sri Lanka in the summit clash being at the top of the list.

The Hyderabad-born pacer started his spell with a maiden over. It was in his second over that Siraj began to send shockwaves around the Lankan dressing room. He bowled with utmost venom and claimed four wickets in the fourth over.

He sent back all four of Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, and Dhananjaya de Silva in the space of just six balls. In search of his five-wicket haul, Siraj took only four more balls to disturb Dasun Shanaka's timber with a peach of an out-swinging delivery.

While the surface gave the pacers enough assistance, Siraj took every advantage of the situation and bowled at incredible lengths to torment the Sri Lankan batters.

In his sixth over, Siraj bamboozled Kusal Mendis with a fast in-swinger. In total, the 29-year-old bowled seven overs on the trot and gave away 21 runs for his six magnificent wickets in the final.

His 6/21 is now the best bowling spell against Sri Lanka in one-day international history, surpassing Waqar Younis' 6/26, which the Pakistani pacer took in an ODI in 1990.