The Better Team Won the Asia Cup

The convincing nature of Sri Lanka's win over India leaves little doubt that the better team won the Asia Cup.


For India, bowling has been a long standing issue. They just dont have the quality of bowlers that can win you a long stretch of matches. Moreover, in this tournament, Dhoni and Sehwag were the only two that played consistently well against all opposition.


Speaking of Dhoni, what a great cricketer he is. On the international scene now for just about 3 years, he is one of the best wicket keepers, batsmen and captains in the game today. India is very lucky to have so much talent in one man. To me, he is up there with Gilchrist and Sangakara.


For Sri Lanka, Mendis is the man of the hour. It is only befitting that a telented spinner is ready to take over Murali. Sri Lankan fans would have been worried post Murali's departure, but this will give them some solace. But this brings up a valid point - succession might be an issue with Sri Lanka. Vaas, Jayasuriya and Murali have been the backbone of this side for well over 10 years now. When they depart (and I imagine it will be after the next world cup), Sri Lanka would be worried for there is no one like Jayasuriya and certainly no one like Vaas or Murali (although Mendis does have the potential to make up for Murali).


FL

Asia Cup Turns it Up a Notch

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