The Asia Cup 2023 cricket tournament started on August 30 and will conclude on September 17.
Featuring six teams, the Asia Cup 2023 will witness a total of 13 One Day Internationals (ODIs) played across two weeks in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are the six teams that will compete in the 16th edition of the Asia Cup. It is the first Asia Cup to be hosted in multiple countries.
As per the Asia Cup 2023 format, these six teams have been divided into two groups of three teams each. While Group A features India, Pakistan and Nepal, Group B has Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Each team will play the other side once in their respective group. The top two teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage in the ongoing Asia Cup. The top two teams in the Super Four stage will later face each other in the Asia Cup 2023 final on September 17.
Multan Cricket Stadium and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium are the two venues that will host four Asia Cup matches in Pakistan. The remaining nine Asia Cup 2023 matches will be played at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.
Some of the world's leading ODI bowlers including the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Kuldeep Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Matheesha Pathirana and Jasprit Bumrah will play a key role for their respective teams in the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup.
Legendary Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan holds the record for the most wickets in Asia Cup (ODI format). Between 1995 and 2010, Muttiah Muralitharan bagged 30 wickets in 24 matches.
Overall, compatriot Lasith Malinga has the most wickets in Asia Cup history in ODI and T20I format combined. He scalped 33 wickets in just 15 matches between 2004 and 2018.
Pakistan’s Shadab Khan and Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana were the first two bowlers to register four-wicket hauls in Asia Cup 2023. Here’s a look at the players with most wickets in Asia Cup 2023.
Most wickets in Asia Cup 2023
| Rank | Player | Team | Matches | Wickets |
| 1 | Matheesha Pathirana | Sri Lanka | 6 | 11 |
| 2 | Mohammed Siraj | India | 5 | 10 |
| 3 | Dunith Wellalage | Sri Lanka | 6 | 10 |
| 4 | Shaheen Afridi | Pakistan | 5 | 10 |
| 5 | Kuldeep Yadav | India | 5 | 9 |
| 6 | Haris Rauf | Pakistan | 4 | 9 |
| 7 | Taskin Ahmed | Bangladesh | 4 | 9 |
| 8 | Maheesh Theekshana | Sri Lanka | 5 | 8 |
| 9 | Shoriful Islam | Bangladesh | 4 | 7 |
| 10 | Naseem Shah | Pakistan | 4 | 7 |
Photo credit: Alamy
