Asia Cup, 2011-12

	Bangladesh's success in the Asia Cup, which they hosted, gave the tournament fillip © AFP Enlarge
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1. Pakistan 2. Bangladesh 3. India 4. Sri Lanka

This was the tenth Asia Cup, a tournament that - since its inception in April 1984 - had generally felt like one commitment too far. Rarely had it stirred fans from any of the top sides into chest-thumping jingoism. But this edition - the third held in Bangladesh - was different, lit up by the unexpected success of the home side, and the completion, at long last, of Sachin Tendulkar's 100th international hundred. After 28 years of anonymity, the Asia Cup gave thanks to the rise of the underdog, and the removal of a giant albatross.

To start with, it looked like the same old story, even though India had just completed a gruelling and humiliating two months in Australia, and had only a fortnight to regroup before heading to Dhaka. They were without Zaheer Khan and Virender Sehwag - both rested - and had to contend with the ongoing soap opera surrounding Tendulkar's landmark. Nonetheless, they still appeared to have a team capable of cleansing their woes. They were also the defending Asia Cup champions, having won the previous competition, in Sri Lanka in June 2010.

Sri Lanka, too, also had fatigue to deal with, after playing four intense games in eight days at the climax of the one-day series in Australia; they went into their first match here without so much as a training session.

Bangladesh were mired in their own drama. The original squad had not been approved by the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, A. H. M. Mustafa Kamal, who ordered Tamim Iqbal to prove his fitness after a bout of fever. The chief selector Akram Khan - Tamim's uncle - quit next day, prompting the prime minister to intervene and restore them both. Mushfiqur Rahim was also in trouble: his criticism of the Bangladesh Premier League had not gone down well with the board, who had made him sign a letter of apology before confirming him as captain.

Pakistan, though, arrived in Dhaka relatively fresh and, for once, trouble free. Perhaps that explained why Misbah-ul-Haq's side - under new coach Dav Whatmore - emerged as winners, but it was close. More surprising was the identity of the team that took them all the way - Bangladesh. They delighted their fans with several fine displays which, for once, owed more to teamwork than individual brilliance. Shakib Al Hasan, the Man of the Series, was the pick of the Bangladeshis, but Tamim passed 50 in each match, and the rest chipped in.

After almost upsetting Pakistan in the opening game, Bangladesh spoiled Tendulkar's big moment: more than a year after he had scored his 99th international century, he carefully completed his 100th - too carefully, for some tastes - only for Bangladesh to sweep to victory, in the process breaking their record for a run-chase against a senior nation.

India soon broke their own record, thanks to Virat Kohli's four-filled 183 against Pakistan, which meant Bangladesh needed to beat Sri Lanka in the last round-robin match to reach the final at India's expense. And they did, despite a barrage of bouncers and yorkers from Lasith Malinga in a rain-interrupted game. Bangladesh were in the final - only their second of note (the first, at home in January 2009, had come at the expense of Zimbabwe in a triangular series).

Bangladesh had narrowly lost that game, to Sri Lanka, and again fell at the last hurdle here, although only after one of the closest and most emotional finals of recent memory. Pakistan nicked it by two runs thanks, unusually, to their fielding: after they stuttered to 236, it was Younis Khan's safe catching to dismiss the top three, coupled with Hammad Azam's athleticism, which proved the difference.

Match reports for

1st Match: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Mirpur, Mar 11, 2012
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2nd Match: India v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 13, 2012
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3rd Match: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 15, 2012
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4th Match: Bangladesh v India at Mirpur, Mar 16, 2012
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5th Match: India v Pakistan at Mirpur, Mar 18, 2012
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6th Match: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 20, 2012
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Final: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Mirpur, Mar 22, 2012
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