Wisden
Tour review

Asia Cup, 2013-14

Mohammad Isam


The Sri Lankans celebrate their victory, Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Asia Cup, final, Mirpur, March 8, 2014
The Sri Lankans celebrate their victory over Pakistan in the Final © AFP
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Series/Tournaments: Asia Cup

1. Sri Lanka 2. Pakistan 3. India 4. Afghanistan 5. Bangladesh

The 12th edition of the Asia Cup was a hectic affair, shoehorned into 12 days between Sri Lanka's tour of Bangladesh and the World Twenty20. At times, it hardly seemed worth it, especially for the hosts Bangladesh, who finished bottom, and were beaten by Afghanistan. The surprise was that India - the original choice as hosts, before ceding the tournament to Bangladesh early in 2013, saying they had too much on their plate already - lost to Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Led by Virat Kohli in the absence of the injured M. S. Dhoni, they were out of contention for the final even before their last match.

The decision to move the tournament had looked questionable after political unrest erupted in Bangladesh late in 2013. The Asian Cricket Council promised high security, especially for Pakistan, who were still uncertain participants until shortly before the event; an invitation was extended to Afghanistan.

When play finally got under way, Sri Lanka went unbeaten to clinch their fifth Asia Cup crown, matching India (Pakistan had won the other two, including the previous tournament in 2011-12). Their heroes were the lefthander Lahiru Thirimanne with the bat, and Lasith Malinga with the ball. Sri Lanka topped and tailed the tournament with victories over Pakistan: in both, Thirimanne scored a century and Malinga took five wickets.

Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka's captain, juggled his varied attack well, and did not shy away from difficult decisions - chiefly the dropping of Dinesh Chandimal, his out-of-form vice-captain, and Ajantha Mendis, who sat out the final after taking nine wickets in three qualifying games. Pakistan fell at the last, but relished their one-wicket victory over India, sealed by Shahid Afridi's two last-over sixes. Afridi reprised his heroics in the next game, to spirit Pakistan to a win that had looked unlikely when Bangladesh ran up 326. In their first Asia Cup, Afghanistan showed they were no pushovers, although their bowling was clearly more effective than their batting. They deserved their victory over the hapless hosts, and had Pakistan in trouble as well - they were 117 for six before Umar Akmal rescued them with a century.

Match reports for

1st Match: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Fatullah, Feb 25, 2014
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2nd Match: Bangladesh v India at Fatullah, Feb 26, 2014
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3rd Match: Afghanistan v Pakistan at Fatullah, Feb 27, 2014
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4th Match: India v Sri Lanka at Fatullah, Feb 28, 2014
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5th Match: Bangladesh v Afghanistan at Fatullah, Mar 1, 2014
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6th Match: India v Pakistan at Mirpur, Mar 2, 2014
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7th Match: Afghanistan v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 3, 2014
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8th Match: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Mirpur, Mar 4, 2014
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9th Match: Afghanistan v India at Mirpur, Mar 5, 2014
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10th Match: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 6, 2014
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Final: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 8, 2014
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