Asia Cup 2018: Top 5 bowling spells in the tournament

The limited-overs format is usually seen as the batsman’s game, but in the just-concluded Asia Cup, the bowlers also came to the party in the UAE. There were some breathtaking performances by the bowlers in the tournament which helped their teams get the better of the opposition.

Hindustan Times takes a look at the top 5 bowling spells in the tournament:

Lasith Malinga (SL): 4/23 vs Bangladesh (Group Stage)

Question marks were raised when Sri Lanka included Lasith Malinga in the Asia Cup squad prior to the tournament as the pacer hadn’t played for the national team for almost a year. However, he put all those talks to rest with a scintillating performance in the opening game of the tournament, ending with figures of 4/23 in 10 overs.

Malinga wrecked the Bangladeshi top-order by getting rid of the Liton Das and Shakib Al Hasan in the first over itself. Then, he came back to remove Mohammad Mithun for 63 and broke the right-hander’s partnership with Mushfiqur Rahim. Mosaddek Hossain became Malinga’s fourth scalp of the day as he was dismissed for just 1. Malinga also bowled two maidens in his full quota of 10.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (IND): 3/15 vs Pakistan (Group Stage)

Bhuvneswar Kumar had a very hot and cold tournament according to his own very high standards as he scalped just six wickets in 5 matches. But in the group stage game against arch-rivals Pakistan, Bhuvneshwar brought forward his A-game and dismantled Pakistan’s top-order, ending with outstanding figures of 3/15.

Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman couldn’t deal with the pace and swing of Bhuvneshwar and were dismissed for 2 & 0 respectively, inside the first five overs. Bhuvneshwar then came back in the last few overs to remove Hasan Ali and ensured that India didn’t concede unnecessary runs right at the end. In seven overs, Bhuvneshwar bowled 35 dot deliveries as well.

Ravindra Jadeja (IND): 4/29 vs Bangladesh (Super Four)

All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja returned to white-ball cricket in stunning style as he scalped a four-wicket haul against Bangladesh in India’s first match of the Super Four stage of the tournament. Jadeja was called in as a replacement for the injured Hardik Pandya and he grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

Jadeja started by getting rid of dangerous-looking Shakib Al Hasan and from there on, he completely dismantled the team’s batting order. Mohammad Mithun and Mushfiqur Rahim were dismissed by Jadeja in quick succession and then, he returned later in the innings to dismiss Mosaddek Hossain to end with a four-wicket haul.

Rashid Khan (AFG): 3/46 vs Pakistan (Super Four)

Afghanistan leg-spinner bowled his heart out during the team’s Super Four clash against Pakistan and his heroics almost led them to a surprise win over their Asian rivals. Rashid ended the match with figures of 3/46 and had it not been for Shoaib Malik’s sensational knock, Afghanistan would have come out on top in the match.

After Fakhar Zaman was dismissed early, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam slammed respective fifties to put Pakistan firmly on top. Rashid got rid of Babar to provide some glimmer of hope to his team and then removed Asif Ali and Mohammad Nawaz in quick succession to pile the pressure on Pakistan. However, Malik took his team over the line on the last ball to ruin the good work done by Rashid.

Mustafizur Rahman (BAN): 4/43 vs Pakistan (Super Four)

Junaid Khan (4/19) and Mustafizur Rahman both scalped four-wicket hauls in this particular match but the latter makes the cut in this list because he saw his team over the line and eventually booked them a place in the final of the competition.

Mustafizur scalped four crucial wickets in the middle-order and sent back Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed and then returned in the last few overs to get rid of the tail-enders like Asif Ali and Mohammad Nawaz. ‘The Fizz’ bowled 36 dots in the innings and it the end it played a crucial role in Bangladesh’s 37-run victory.

First Published: Sep 29, 2018 09:09 IST