When their gut-wrenching disappointment dies down, Bangladesh will
remember that they were just one stroke away from the Asia Cup title.
And see it as clinching evidence of their progress. When their sense of
relief passes, Pakistan will remember that they were tested to the hilt,
but came through somehow. And see it as confirmation of their renowned
ability to win the big moments.
But for the moment, Bangladesh will be gutted; gutted at what could have
been, gutted that it wasn't to be. They had lost their first tournament
final by two wickets to Sri Lanka in 2009. The margin was two runs
today.
What wouldn't Shahadat Hossain give to take back the 50th over of
Pakistan's innings bowled by him which went for 19? What wouldn't
Nazimuddin and Nasir Hossain give to take back their innings of 16 off
52 balls and 28 off 63 in the chase?
In a game that came down to four runs needed off the last ball, several
passages of play could be said to have been decisive. Sarfraz Ahmed's 46
off 52, which turned 199 for 8 into 236 for 9. Shahid Afridi's 32 off
22 and 1 for 28 in ten overs with the ball. Shakib Al Hasan's dismissal
with Bangladesh needing 58 off 39.
Bangladesh had themselves to blame for allowing a target that had seemed
gettable at the start to turn into a daunting one. It was Nazimuddin's
clueless crawl of an innings that invited pressure despite Tamim Iqbal's
fourth consecutive half-century. Tamim's departure to Younis Khan's
third sharp catch further increased the pressure on the hosts in their
first chase in a tournament final.
While the plan could have been for Nazimuddin to be the anchor and Tamim
to be the aggressor, the former became completely subdued after being
beaten four times in five deliveries by Umar Gul in the second over,
leaving run-making duties completely to his partner.
Tamim responded by hitting Gul out of the attack with four fours in nine
deliveries. All shots bore the mark of a man in top form, with the
highlight being a punch through point played with his feet off the
ground. Nazimuddin continued to dig a deeper hole for himself, treating
Mohammad Hafeez with utmost respect and allowing him to get through five
overs for only 10 runs.
Realisation belatedly dawned on him, but by then, he had got into such a
rut that he was mistiming almost everything. Bangladesh were not able
to get anywhere close to dominating, which they should have given the
way Tamim was batting. In the same Shahid Afridi over in which Tamim
brought up his fourth half-century of the tournament, off 48 balls,
Younis finally ended Nazimuddin's misery with a running catch at
long-off. By then, Nazimuddin had used up 52 balls for his 16.
|
|||
|
|
|||
Jahurul Islam did not last long against Ajmal's doosra and gave Younis
his second catch, at slip. With Nasir also struggling to get going,
Tamim decided to take on Gul but only found extra cover with a mis-hit
pull, Younis diving forward to take another excellent catch.
Carrying his nation's hopes once again, Shakib walked in at 81 for 3 and
pulled his first delivery for four. Afridi and Gul responded with
consecutive maiden overs. Shakib set about targetting Hammad Azam and
Cheema as Bangladesh tried to keep the rate from galloping out of
control.
It rose above eight. Shakib swung Cheema over midwicket for six. Despite
Shakib's hitting, Nasir's struggle had begun to hurt Bangladesh. It was
similar to the way the innings had cantered and stalled alternatively
when Tamim and Nazimuddin were batting.
Nasir finally holed out off Gul in the 43rd over. Shakib coolly scooped
the last ball of that over past short fine leg. But an attempt to repeat
the stroke in the next over off Cheema resulted in his leg stump being
rattled.
With 47 needed off five overs, Mushfiqur Rahim swung Cheema straight to
deep midwicket. This Bangladesh side does not easily roll over though.
Mahmudullah and Mashrafe Mortaza smashed Gul for three fours in four
balls in the 47th over. It came down to 19 needed off 15. Mortaza then
paddled Ajmal into the hands of short fine leg.
With Mahmudullah still around and four needed off two, Abdur Razzak
turned Cheema onto his stumps, and, in an ironic end, Shahadat, could
not get the last ball away for more than a leg-bye.
As Misbah-ul-Haq embraced Cheema, there were tears in the Bangladesh
dressing room. They had been favourites to crack on their biggest day as
a cricketing nation. A fourth consistent performance on the trot was
expected to be beyond them. But they gave an extremely creditable
account of themselves, especially with the ball.
Pakistan are masters of the big moment, though, and somehow find a
player who performs. Wicketkeeper Sarfraz, who had a highest ODI score
of 24 and a strike-rate of 62.35 before this game, weighed in with a
52-ball 46.
Bangladesh's bowling was tight and their fielding was energetic, as it
had been throughout the tournament. Pakistan were not allowed to get
away, except in the last over. Bangladesh's leading ODI wicket-taker
Abdur Razzak rose to the occasion, with figures of 10-3-26-2. But
Shahadat proved expensive once again in a horror last over which
contained two no-balls and went for 19.
Bangladesh's discipline till then had kept Pakistan under relentless
pressure. And that pressure had brought wickets. Their openers, Hafeez
and Nasir Jamshed - who had a century and a double-century stand earlier
in the tournament - failed to clear the infield in their attempts to
hit out. Younis and Umar Akmal got rough decisions, Misbah's hesitation
ran him out, and Azam and Afridi threw it away.
Afridi was his normal hit-or-depart self, and another promising innings
was soon terminated, after a few breathtaking strokes, with a mis-hit to
long-off. There was no knowing at that stage that it would turn out to
be one of the most important knocks of the game.
Gul could not repeat his salvage act from the tournament opener against
Bangladesh, and Sarfraz was the unlikely candidate for a mini-recovery.
He ensured Pakistan batted the full 50 overs and Bangladesh finally fell
apart in the last one. Shahadat served up waist-high full tosses, and
short and wide deliveries to be carted for 19, and left Pakistan's
strength, their bowling, with a decent score to defend.
A chase in a final was something Bangladesh had never encountered
before. It did inhibit the usual freedom of a couple of their batsmen,
and that was the difference in the end.
