Victory so sweet

Pakistan beat India by one wicket in their Asia Cup clash on March 2, an encounter that created more hype than the event itself and is destined to be the main topic of discussion even more than the final of the tournament. After a stop-start innings, India compiled a 245-run total, a figure Pakistan were expected to make look even bigger with their reputation of being poor chasers. What transpired was a script that few imagined, with all-rounder Shahid Afridi finishing off the memorable chase for the team’s fourth win in 17 attempts at going past a total of 240 or more. Pakistan began in menacing fashion but, as usual, the run chase took a turn for the worse. The middle order faltered and, despite Mohammad Hafeez’s well-crafted innings, it all came down to Afridi. If Pakistan were to script a successful run-chase, it had to be a dramatic one. Afridi, who just cannot be ignored through his performance or lack of it, hit two successive sixes off the final over to hand India a rude awakening and revive memories of Javed Miandad’s last-ball six at Sharjah. The win put Pakistan firmly on track for the final, where they are likely to face Sri Lanka and revived hopes that the team still have what it takes to compete with India in multi-nation tournaments.

The real test for Pakistan starts now. While celebrating the team’s win, especially in the context of how well pressure was handled and the showman Afridi finally delivering in the tournament, it is crucial to remember that there is a bigger picture to it. A game against Bangladesh is left and the final is still to come. If Pakistan are to retain the Asia Cup, it is imperative that the team pull up its socks since the defeat against Sri Lanka, and even the two victories against India and Afghanistan, have raised eyebrows. Fielding lapses and batting collapses will prove much more costly as the tournament heads into its final act. Pakistan still need to do much better than they have done so far to retain the Asian champions tag.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2014.

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