A sweet victory

For whipping boys Bangladesh to come so close to beating Sri Lanka, India & Pakistan is a matter of great joy.

The phrase ‘cricket was the real winner’ is usually deployed by those who want to mask the anger they feel after their team suffers a painful loss. Since Pakistan ultimately ended up beating Bangladesh by two runs to win the Asia Cup, it is not a case of sour grapes that leads us to claim that the true victor after the tournament was the sport itself. For perennial whipping boys Bangladesh, to come within one boundary hit of beating the mighty trifecta of Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan in the space of one week is a matter of great joy for all cricket fans. Never again will Bangladesh be condescendingly referred to as minnows; never again will Bangladesh have to prove that they belong among the cricketing elite.

It is rare that the losing finalists get all the attention after a tournament but that is no less than what Bangladesh deserves. The attitude that pervaded the team is best summed up by the joyous hitting of the man-of-the-tournament, Shakibal Hasan. Equally exhilarating was the batting of opener Tamim Iqbal, who had actually been dropped before the Asia Cup for reasons that seemed more political than cricketing. And for those worried about the health of the game, the passion exhibited by Bangladeshi fans showed that cricket has a future beyond the three or four countries which dominate the game. Losing the final must have been difficult but winning the hearts of the cricketing world should come as some consolation.

As for Pakistan, it might seem overly pessimistic to criticise a team that just won a major ODI competition, but its performance throughout the tournament was less than encouraging. The middle order was prone to collapse with Umar Akmal being the most egregious example of wasted talent, while the fast bowlers were expensive and frequently ineffectual. The fielding was — as it always is with Pakistan — below par, while captain Misbahul Haq made some unorthodox and baffling choices on the field. That we were unable to exact a measure of revenge for the Mohali loss to India was also disheartening, especially since we didn’t get a rematch against the Indian team in the final. Ultimately, though, in yet another sign that Pakistan has perhaps substituted flair with grit, it is a good sign that this Pakistani team was able to win the Asia Cup without firing on all cylinders.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2012.