He was the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets from 6 matches with just 1 behind India's Roger Binny. The bowler hadn't received the recognition which he should be for his brilliant 17 wickets picked at an average of 15.58. One of the prime reason was that Sri Lanka was not been able to qualify for the second round in the tournament and his performance got lost. He was not able to replicate the same magic after the tournament.
Ashantha de Mel in 1983 World Cup
Matches - 6, Wickets - 17, Average - 15.58, Srike rate - 23.2, Economy Rate - 4.01, Best Bowling - 5/32
