It was a great day for cricket in Asia. In their final warm-up game, England weren't satisfied with a gentle workout, producing a Somerset-esque blitz to turn a probable draw into an exhilarating four-wicket victory over the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI. Meanwhile, further north, Bangladesh pushed Pakistan all the way in the Asia Cup final but failed to win their first trophy by just two runs.
In Colombo, it was always going to be tough forging a result on a placid pitch in only three days but to both teams' credit, that's precisely what happened, with some competitive declarations and 515 runs scored on the final day! That's more than Pakistan and Bangladesh served up in even fewer overs in their Asia Cup clash, although both served up thrilling finales.
After Strauss and Trott both retired out in the first innings, they remained in the pavilion to give others some batting practice, albeit more suited to preparation for an ODI series instead of two Tests. Only Ian Bell flopped twice, while Pietersen, Bopara, Patel and Prior each passed fifty, the latter smashing 84 in 60 balls. Graeme Swann clinched matters by striking six boundaries in twelve balls. Great for the England batsmen but what about the bowlers?
Stuart Broad was the pick of the attack, but Swann, Patel and Finn took some treatment. However, they shouldn't be too downhearted because a Test match is a different kettle of fish. On the Sri Lankan side, Chamara Silva and Angelo Perera nudged the selectors with their runs, and Tharanga Lakshitha bowled tidily first time out. The coming Tests could produce a couple of close contests.
If they are as close as the competition climax created by Bangladesh and Pakistan, I won't be complaining. India and Sri Lanka looked tired at times over the past week or so, and it's hardly surprising. However, Pakistan continued their recent rise in fortunes and, on home territory, Bangladesh finally showed they can mix it with the big boys. Spinners Abdur Razzak and Shakib al Hasan were the pick of the bowlers, restricting Pakistan to just 236, with no batsmen reaching 50. Tamim Iqbal made it four consecutive half-centuries, knocking Umar Gul about early on. However, the man from Peshawar gained revenge in he 24th over, by which time Bangladesh were already slipping behind the required strike rate because Iqbal's colleagues were suffering.
Shakib did his best, firing 68, but Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal turned the screw. Nevertheless, it was a low target and Mahmudullah and Abdur Razzak needed nine from the last over from Cheema. Sadly for Bangladesh, with four needed from the last two balls, Razzak played onto his stumps and Hossain could only dig out a yorker for a single, and Pakistan had won the trophy. Last week I questioned whether the Asia Cup was worthy or a waste of time. It was certainly the latter for India and Sri Lanka, but a great confidence booster for today's finalists. Bangladesh may have lost the game but hopefully gained the appetite to push on and challenge for future one-day titles.
