India’s fast-bowler, Mohammed Siraj, created history during the 2023 Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka at the R. Premadasa Stadium by becoming the first Indian bowler to capture four wickets in a single over of men’s ODIs. Siraj’s remarkable achievement sent shockwaves through the cricketing world.
In a match where spin was expected to dominate, Siraj stood out with his exceptional swing bowling and clever use of the crease to dismantle the Sri Lankan batting lineup.
The historic over began with Mohammed Siraj delivering a perfect outswinger on the first ball. Pathum Nissanka attempted to drive but could only manage to send the ball to backward point, where the fielder moved swiftly to complete the catch. Just a dot ball later, Siraj executed a sharp nip-backer to dismiss Sadeera Samawickrama, trapping him leg-before-wicket (lbw).
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The third delivery saw Charith Asalanka chipping the ball straight to cover point. While Dhananjaya de Silva managed to survive the hat-trick ball by guiding it past mid-on for four, Siraj had the last laugh. On the fifth delivery of the over, de Silva edged an outswinger, providing a faint edge behind the stumps, and Siraj completed the catch.
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Siraj’s remarkable feat earned him a five-wicket haul when he induced late movement off a fuller delivery to deceive Dasun Shanaka, sending the off-stump cartwheeling.
With this incredible performance, Siraj joined an elite group that includes Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka (against Bangladesh in 2003), Pakistan’s Mohammad Sami (against New Zealand in 2003), and England’s Adil Rashid (against West Indies in 2019), all of whom achieved the rare feat of taking four wickets in a single over of men’s ODIs since 2002. Mohammed Siraj is the first Indian to accomplish this feat.
Siraj also claimed his fifth wicket in just 16 balls, sharing the record for the joint-quickest five-wicket haul in ODIs with Chaminda Vaas and USA’s Ali Khan. Moreover, Siraj now holds the record for the most wickets by an Indian bowler in the first 10 overs of an ODI match since 2002.
In his 29th ODI appearance, Siraj reached his 50th wicket milestone in 1002 balls, making him the second-quickest bowler in the history of ODIs to reach this achievement, behind Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis, who did it in 847 balls. Among all Indian bowlers, Siraj is now the joint-fourth-quickest to reach this milestone.
Siraj’s exceptional performance continued as he took his sixth wicket by getting one to nip back from outside off, clean bowling Kusal Mendis through the gate. This incredible achievement gave Siraj the record for the best bowling figures by a pace bowler in the Asia Cup, surpassing Pakistan’s Aaqib Javed, who had previously picked 5/19 against India in Sharjah in 1995.