5 best bowling performances of Asia Cup 2023's group stage ft. Shaheen Shah Afridi

With Sri Lanka's narrow 2-run victory against Afghanistan in Lahore yesterday, the first round of the Asia Cup came to an end. Sri Lanka, courtesy of their win, made it through to the Super Fours, with Bangladesh being the other team from the group to qualify.

In Group A, it was the usual suspects who earned qualification: arch-rivals India and Pakistan. The four teams will now square off against each other in the Super Fours, which will culminate on September 12, following which the top two teams will contest the Final.

With the stakes getting higher, there is surely going to be a lot of entertainment, and fans are eagerly looking forward to the action. The first round of the tournament saw some exciting cricket, with several players putting in impressive performances in all three departments, not least with the ball.

On that note, here we look at the top 5 bowling performances from the first stage of the 2023 Asia Cup:

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#5 Shoriful Islam (3-36 vs Afghanistan)

In the fourth game of the tournament, Bangladesh were up against Afghanistan in Lahore. Having won the toss, Shakib and Co. notched up a total of 334 on the board thanks to Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Najmul Hossain Shanto, who both scored centuries.

While it was always going to be tough to chase the score down, Afghanistan had a strong batting line-up, and the Bangladeshi bowlers had to be spot-on.

They did exactly that, bowling Afghanistan out for 245. The performance was led by the 22-year-old left-arm pacer, Shoriful Islam, who claimed figures of 3–36.

Early on, he set the tone by getting rid of the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz in his very first over. He later returned to dismiss the Afghan skipper, Hashmatullah Shahidi, who was well-set on 51.

He also picked up the wicket of the big-hitting Gulbadin Naib to ensure a victory for his side. Bangladesh won the game by 89 runs, and a lot of credit for that has to go to Shoriful, who quietly got the job done.

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#4 Gulbadin Naib (4-60 vs Sri Lanka)

In what was a sensational encounter to wind up the first stage of the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan by two runs to make it through to the Super Fours. Afghanistan, on the other hand, were eliminated.

Still, in what was a high-pressure game, there were quite a few positives for Afghanistan, with one of those being the performance of former skipper Gulbadin Naib. Sri Lanka compiled a total of 291 in the first innings, but that could have been a lot more had it not been for Gulbadin's efforts.

He picked up four important wickets, with three of those coming in quick succession. At 63-0, Sri Lanka had gotten off to a brilliant start before Gulbadin applied the brakes. He first dismissed the experienced man, Dimuth Karunaratne, and then got rid of the other opener, Pathum Nissanka.

In his next over, he removed Sadeera Samarawickrama as well. 63-0 became 86-3 in no time thanks to the muscular all-rounder. He picked up another wicket off the last delivery of the innings to end with 4-60.

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#3 Kasun Rajitha (4-79 vs Afghanistan)

While he was extremely expensive, Kasun Rajitha's strikes against Afghanistan were a huge factor that led to Sri Lanka's qualification.

Afghanistan needed to chase down a score of 292 in 37.1 overs and desperately needed a good start. Rajitha did not allow that as he dismissed both the openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, early in the innings.

He later claimed the wicket of a well-set Rahmat Shah to break a 71-run stand between Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi. In the 36th over, he got rid of Najibullah Zadran in what was a game-defining moment.

He ended with 4-79 and while his figures don't look pleasing, ardent fans of the game know just how valuable his performance was.

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#2 Shaheen Shah Afridi (4-35 vs India)

Ahead of the much-awaited game between India and Pakistan, a lot of chatter revolved around how India's top order would fare against the skillful Shaheen Shah Afridi.

From an Indian perspective, there were fears, as he had tormented India in the past. Those fears turned to reality as Afridi picked up a four-wicket haul against the Indians.

He first dismissed Indian captain Rohit Sharma courtesy of a peach of a delivery, an inswinger that knocked his off stump. In his very next over, he accounted for the wicket of Virat Kohli, leaving India in all sorts of trouble.

He later returned to pick up the wicket of Hardik Pandya, who was well set on 87. He also got rid of the very capable Ravindra Jadeja, which eventually helped Pakistan restrict India to a score of 266.

Unfortunately for Afridi and Pakistan, the game was abandoned due to rain. Still, his spells against India were top-notch and earned him appreciation from experts and fans alike.

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#1 Matheesha Pathirana (4-32 vs Bangladesh)

In the second game of the inter-continental tournament, Bangladesh faced Sri Lanka in Pallekele. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first, but couldn't make any use of the advantage because of one man, Matheesha Pathirana.

Pathirana, playing in only his fifth one-dayer, picked up four wickets while conceding just 32 runs to help bundle Bangladesh out for 164, a total that was chased down with 11 overs to spare.

Pathirana's wickets included those of Bangladeshi legends Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Later, when he bowled to the tailenders, it was evident that he was too good for them.

At 20 years and 256 days, he became the youngest Sri Lankan to pick up a four-wicket haul in ODIs, breaking the record of Chamind Vaas. The 20-year-old was adjudged the player-of-the-match, his first such award in international cricket.