So far, the Asia Cup had been a pretty dull event. With teams batting first posting huge totals (unless you were Bangladesh, UAE or Hong Kong), and the favorite of any match up, winning with ease. Except last night, when Pakistan upset favorites India.
It is a rare occasion when Pakistan wins against India with such ease as they did last night. The match started with India as favorites, became even more one-sided when Pakistan lost the toss and their bowlers succumbed to the aggression of Sehwag and Gambhir. But somewhere along the way, Pakistan fought back with wickets and discipline. I thought Misbah was quite impressive as captain - in fact, I think and expect that within a year, he will take over from his younger superior Shoaib Malik. Then, chasing 308, Pakistan did so with 8 wickets and some 5 odd overs to spare. Younis Khan obviously was the Man of the Match with a brilliant 122 not out.
However, the two players that excited me the most were fast bowler Abdur Rauf and spinner Saeed Ajmal. Rauf with his height, pace and movement reminded me of the once promising and now discarded Shabbir Ahmed. Nasir Jamshed also looks like a good find for Pakistan although I don't want to jinx them by praising their opening pair - God knows they haven't had a good pair since the days of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail.
Anyway, with the win, Pakistan actually has a chance to make the finals as long as Sri Lanka defeats India. Go figure. Within the span of one match, the entire series has come alive. Here is looking forward to a good week's cricket.
FL
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