One-Day Cup: Ashutosh Sharma continues to wreak havoc, claims fifer
What's the story
Ashutosh Sharma, the Delhi Capitals star, is making waves in England. Known for his aggressive lower-order batting, Ashutosh is now impressing with his bowling skills. He has taken 13 wickets in the ongoing One-Day Cup while playing for Hampshire. This includes three on debut against Yorkshire and four against Middlesex. The medium pacer's latest outing, against Essex, marked his maiden five-wicket haul in List A cricket. Here we look at his stats.
Spell
Five wickets for just 51 runs
In the match against Essex, Ashutosh bowled his full quota of 10 overs and gave away 51 runs while taking five wickets.
He dismissed captain Tom Westley (24), Charlie Allison (0), Simon Fernandes (8), Mackenzie Jones (6), and Charlie Bennett (0) to achieve this feat.
This spell was vital as Essex, who were cruising at 216/3 at one stage, were folded for 317. Hampshire (321/7) later chased down the target.
Campaign
Leading wicket-taker this season
Ashutosh has raced to 13 wickets across just four games this season at a jaw-dropping average of 15.53. His economy is a fine 5.94.
The pacer is the first player to touch the 12-wicket mark this season.
However, the dasher has struggled to get going with the bat. His scores read 10, 0, 11, and 16.
Bowling breakthrough
Ashutosh's bowling breakthrough
Ashutosh's impressive bowling performance in England is all the more surprising considering his previous record.
Prior to this tournament, he had taken only two wickets across 22 overs in List A cricket.
He has never bowled in his 32-match IPL career.
This makes his recent exploits even more remarkable as they show a player expanding their skill set beyond their established role.
Career
Here are his List A numbers
As mentioned, Ashutosh had claimed just two List A wickets before this tournament.
He now has 15 scalps from 25 matches at an economy of 6.07, as per Cricinfo.
With the bat, he has scored 495 runs in these matches at 21.52.
His strike rate is a stunning 125. The tally includes three half-centuries.