Post tournament Asia Cup – Analysis – Pakistan the worthy winners – Part 1
With Asia Cup gearing up towards its final, bettor looks back at the tournament and whether it managed to garnish the response expected from a competition between the sub-continent teams.
The tournament began with many pointing out its significance – India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Lions-c808 showing marked improvement in their game under the astute leadership of Mahela Jayewardene.
The Men In Blue were further embroiled in team politics, with many putting their own agenda’s first – leading to considerable disharmony in the camp. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/V-Kohli-c2737 as the vice-skipper also grabbed attention from all corners.
Bangladeshi team were again given little chance to prove their mettle and despite many of their players having exceptional outings in the inaugural Bangladeshi Premier League, their chances were principally dim - keeping in mind the daunting stature of their opponents.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 in the limited-overs leg at UAE did not go well with their fans and while they possessed a lethal combo of spin and pace, their batting expertise were easily exploitable.
So when all's said and done, the amount of cricket played by all Asian nations over the past few months meant that the competition was worryingly cramped in a period where all teams could do with a much needed rest.
However, the prospect of a http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Daniel-Harris-c1310 and devoted fan following of the Bengali crowd were among a few factors working in favour of the Asia Cup.
As it stood, after an enthralling first round of matches, the Asia Cup had been thrown wide open. It began on a pretty akin tone with the Men In Green putting on 135 for the first wicket in the opening game against the hosts.
At that point in time, many could have argued – oh no! Same old same old – however, all changed in a matter of moments and one could say for good. Pakistan’s batting faltered alarmingly to self- destruct at 198 for 7 before demonstrating some authority to post a respectable total, and scrape home by a narrow 21-run margin.
The next match was another important affair between India and Sri Lanka, which despite ending in an another disappointment for the Little Master, helped http://www.senore.com/Cricket/G-Gambhir-c1447 to post his first century in over 12 months.
The Lankans lost the match by 50 runs and now needed a win in their next game to keep their chances alive. However, they faltered once more against the prowess of the Men In Green’s exquisite bowling line and consequently conceding an all crucial bonus point.
The next match between India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 was touted as another one-sided affair however it turned out to be one h**l of a spectacle. It finally marked one of the greatest accomplishments from arguably one of the world’s greatest players - Sachin Tendular and his century of Centuries.
To be continued...
Tags: