After an emphatic 6 Wicket win over the tournament favorites Sri Lanka and that too with more than 10 overs to spear, Team Pakistan has
done its supporters proud. A team that was going into the Asia Cup as an under confident unit, the Misbah XI has really pulled off their best performances at the right time. The Hard fought win over Bangladesh just proved to be a wake-up call for the team as they displayed a Professional Performance against Sri Lanka in the Big Game of the tournament.
As usual it was the Pakistani Bowling which laid the basis for the famous win. The combination of Cheema and Ajmal worked wonders for the Men in Green as in between both picked up crucial 7 Sri Lankan Wickets between them. Where Cheema bounced back really well to redeem himself after the spanking that he got from Dilshan and Mahela Jayawerdena to pick up 4 wickets, Ajmal once more was making the Sri Lankan Batters dance to his tunes. His Doosras and the Off Spinners were troubling nearly all the Sri Lankans that came against Him. The most Positive thing about the Team’s performance was that every Player looked involved. They motivated each other and surprisingly the Team looked an all together different Fielding unit. Catching plus the Ground fielding was up to the mark.
Lankans were cruising along till the 5th over as their openers were making full use of the Power Play, but as stated earlier the Pakistanis were backing each other all the time. The Lankan openers took a special liking to the bowling of Cheema earlier on in the innings, however the support and words of advice Cheema got from his seniors like Afridi, Misbah and Younis restored the self belief back in Him and He responded to the Captain’s Call by picking up 4 wickets, that include the Three Big Guns, Sangakkara, Mahela and Dilshan.
Umar Gul started off well with the new ball. He bowled in the very right areas and tried to cover up Cheema’s inconsistency upfront and picked up the wicket of Chandimal.
Afridi and Hafeez also bowled well and contributed to the excellent bowling performance.
The new man Hammad Azam also got to bowl this time, and he too managed a wicket.
The target was not at all threatening, on paper at least. However Sri Lanka had One Lasith Malinga in their Arsenal. His presence alone is a big worry for the opposition batters.
The Pakistani opening Duo of Hafeez and Jamshed started off rather cautiously and understandably. However the Lankans fought back and managed to come back into the game by removing both the Openers and Younis Khan in quick succession. At that stage things were looking gloomy for Pakistan however Misbah ul Haq and Umar Akmal showed their true class and made a strong statement to the ones criticizing them. Misbah turned out to be a perfect batting partner for young Akmal as Misbah’s calmness and ability to absorb pressure had a calming influence on Umar Akmal as well, as Akmal looked confident in his shot selection and after He got the start, He ensured that he finishes the match for his team which he nearly did with his glorious 77 runs innings.
Misbah ul Haq, once again showed his class both as a Captain and then as a Batsman. His Bowling changes, Field placements , and Quick decision making never allowed Sri Lankans to build Partner ships and hence the were bundled out. And then, when the team required a Man to play the Anchor’s role the Captain got his hand up and batted till the end to score a crucial 72 that were more than enough to take Pakistan home.
India is the next team, that Pakistan faces on the 18th of March in a Sunday Special. India have already defeated Sri Lanka convincingly in their first match and with Sri Lanka being virtually knocked out from the Asia Cup it is almost certain that India and Pakistan will lock Horns in the Big Final on the 22nd. However first everybody is looking for the 18th March encounter. Both the teams will play freely without any pressure of the Points Table and one can expect some thrilling Cricket. Changes can also be expected in both the teams as it will be an ideal situation for the teams to check their Bench Strength.
Pakistan can include Abdul Rehman in the playing XI. Rehman, who is a brilliant operator in Asian conditions, will be looking forward to the challenge of play against a team which plays spin really well.
Asad Shafiq who made way for Hammad Azam in the game against Sri Lanka can also get another go. Shafiq too will be eager to perform and get his place back in the middle order.
Wahab Riaz’s exclusion from the Final XI is not making a huge difference as Cheema and Gul are fulfilling their Bowling responsibilities very well however Riaz deserves a chance to play considering his good performances in the Domestic circuit.
Over all the Pakistani team is in a very comfortable position at the moment. Not much pressure, but it can go against well. The team should enjoy its success and feel proud, but they should not get overly confident. It is a thing that has hurt Pakistani cricket in the past.
But for now, its celebration times as the team is in an Asia Cup final after 12 years.
GeoSuper