Disappointed Rahim rues turning points

They came agonisingly close to clinching their first Asia Cup title before losing to Pakistan by just two runs and Bangladesh skipper said it was the dismissals of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib-Al-Hasan that proved to be the turning point of the title clash.

Bangladesh have played brilliant cricket in the Asia Cup, beating India and Sri Lanka, and even on Thursday they restricted Pakistan to 236 and were in the hunt before succumbing to a 2-run defeat at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

"Before the tournament, we had great preparation but the boys stuck to the plans. We played good cricket in the tournament, I thought. But the wickets of Shakib and Tamim were the turning point tonight," Rahim said after the match.

"The wicket is a bit slowish, it's not easy to score runs, Tamim and Shakib played well. We gave away some runs in the last over, that was crucial.

"It's been a great tournament for Shakib, Tamim, Mashrafe, Razzak and Nasir. We fought in all the games and we achieved a lot in this tournament," said Rahim, who signed off by promising the crowd a better performance in the future.

Man of the series, Shakib Al Hasan also took pride in their performance and said they would take positives from this tournament.

"If we look at the overall tournament, we were terrific. The teamwork has been terrific, the way the crowd supported us was fantastic too. Hopefully we'll kick on from here," Shakib said.

"If I had scored two more runs we would have won the game, we came so close to win the Asia Cup. We'll take the positives from this series and move on from there."

Pakistan clinched the Asia Cup title after 12 years and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq credited the youngsters for setting up the victory for the team.

"Wonderful victory, well fought by all guys, the youngsters came in and contributed well. Hammad Azam played well, Sarfraz's innings was a vital one for us. It was a good team effort," he said.

"This wicket was a little different from the other ones, it was slow. We were hoping that around 225-230 would be a fighting a score. The spinners bowled very well, the pacers did well in the end," he added.

Even though heart-broken after their narrow defeat, Bangladesh won hearts with Misbah and former skipper Shahid Afridi heaping praise on the team for their "awesome" performance in the four-nation tournament.

"Bangladesh played wonderfully well, this is really a new Bangladesh team and they are really the winners," said Misbah.

Afridi, who won the man of the match award for his 32-run innings and a wicket, said: "Bangladesh really played well, they played awesome cricket. They always surprise and give a tough time to the top teams. The credit goes to guys like Shakib and Nasir, they really played some good cricket.

Asked about his own performance, he said, "I worked hard on my bowling. I tried my level best with the bat. I was focussing on my game and I really worked hard.

Preview: New Zealand v South Africa, 3rd Test

The series so far: New Zealand have remained on the back-foot throughout their home series against the Proteas, not being able to assert any kind of pressure on the tourists. The only match that the hosts won was the opening T20I following which the Kiwis have ended up on the losing side in most of their matches. They lost 2 T20Is to lose that series following which the South Africans blanked them 3-0 in the ODIs. The opening Test was a rain-hit affair and both teams looked in contention to win the match before the weather had the final say and the match ended as a draw. The second Test was more one sided with South Africa winning by a comfortable 9 wickets.

New Zealand: The hosts haven't been up to the mark for the entire series and are now facing the prospect of suffering their fifth Test series loss to South Africa at home. Their main letdown has been in the batting department with most of the batters not being able to come up with a meaningful contribution. The law of averages seem to have caught up with Martin Guptill as the right-hander, after a string of fifty plus scores during the summer, has failed to manage a single half-century in the Test series so far. Rob Nicol too has been a disappointment, failing to reach double figure scores in 3 innings and managing just 19 in one. The middle order has been slightly better as compared to the top - Brendon McCullum managed a couple of half-centuries while Ross Taylor went past 40 thrice in the series . However, their inability to convert the starts to bigger scores and the failure of the rest of the batters has meant that the hosts have been unable to post satisfactory totals. Kane Williamson's hard-fought 77 in the second innings of the 2nd Test is probably a good example for the rest of the batters, who need to show more patience and application.

There is not much to complain about as far as New Zealand's bowling is concerned as the pacers have been doing their job pretty consistently. Doug Bracewell, Chris Martin and Mark Gillespie have all been amongst the wickets with the latter claiming a five wicket haul in the first innings of the second Test. The one concern for the hosts in the bowling department might be the fact that Daniel Vettori has not been picking up wickets although he has not conceded too much either. Skipper Taylor, while hoping for the bowlers to stick to their line and length, will be expecting a better performance from the batters.

South Africa: The Proteas have by far been the better batting unit of the two teams with three batsmen going past three-figure marks while not a single one from the home side could manage it so far. However it also should be noted that all the three centuries came in just one innings apart from which the South African batters have been inconsistent. South Africa's failure has been mainly in the first innings with totals of 238 and 253 coming in the first and the second Test respectively. Graeme Smith is amongst the centurions along with Jacques Kallis and Jacques Rudolph. The skipper has also scored a couple of fifties while Rudolph, Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers produced one half-century each. But none of these innings have been instrumental in South Africa putting up a good first innings total and all Smith will be expecting from his batters in the third Test is a good show in both the innings.

South African bowlers have been nothing less than dominating with Vernon Philander leading the way. With fifteen wickets in the series so far, including a ten wicket haul in the second Test, Philander has kept the New Zealand batsmen on the toes. Dale Steyn too has been picking up wickets as have Morne Morkel and Imran Tahir. The bowlers will be expected to deliver again in the third Test as Smith seeks a 2-0 finish.

Team News: After his poor showing in the first two Tests, New Zealand have left out Rob Nicol from the squad and Daniel Flynn will open in his place. Dean Brownlie will return to bat at number six for the Kiwis, having recovered from his finger injury. His return boosts the middle order which will now have Daniel Vettori and Kruger van Wyk drop one place in the batting order. The South Africans, meanwhile, are unlikely to make any changes unless there is an injury to their player just before the match.

Asia Cup to make it more meaningful the It's time to revamp

Bangladesh celebrates its cricket team’s ascendancy in unison and braces itself for a shot at history. A week or two ago, any suggestions of the hosts making the Asia Cup final would have been laughed off callously. A lot has been said and written about the brilliance of Bangladesh in this tournament, but one must not forget their fans, who have stood by their team through thick and thin despite years of disappointment and inconsistency. Their huge presence at the Shere Bangla National Stadium is a sight for the sore eyes and tugs the hearts of cricket fans around the world.

As the world continues to embrace T20 cricket - a format that is said to threaten Tests and One- Day Internationals (ODIs) - the crowd response for the Asia Cup comes as a massive encouragement. The Bangladesh victory over India is what triggered this humongous interest and set the tone for the games that followed. For example, the crucial game between India and Pakistan was played in front of a full house - despite it being a working day in the country. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) would be delighted by the way things have panned out and would be expecting a similar if not a stronger turn-out for the final.

However, despite these encouraging signs, the ACC has to chalk out a strategy to maintain the fanfare of this prestigious tournament in the coming years. A move by the regional body would pay rich dividends not just for cricket in Asia, but also the internationally. It is a well-documented fact that the subcontinent is the powerhouse of the game and the passion for cricket is unparalleled. Assuming that the very sustenance of ODIs is under threat, a strategy to strengthen its fan base is the need of the hour and a competitive tourney like the Asia Cup may be the way forward. The empty stands during the India-England ODI series last year served as a huge warning and it needs to be heeded. Such a scenario would have been unimaginable in India and the alarm bells are loud and clear.

Once, the Asia Cup establishes itself as an indispensable part of the international calendar, the inclusion of the weaker sides can be considered. The United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong have featured in two Asia Cups, but didn’t look a part at the international stage. However, a team like Afghanistan may push its case with consistent performances. Their meteoric rise through the ranks has been inspirational and the day they play international cricket on a regular basis may not be far away.

For now, the focus is on Bangladesh and whether or not they would be able to cross the final hurdle. Pakistan are the only team to have beaten them, but would be wary of the challenge considering the fate of India and Sri Lanka. If Bangladesh manages to pull it off, it would be similar to Greece’s triumphant campaign in Euro 2004. However, one would hope that Bangladesh’s rise continues and a victory would herald a prosperous era.

Pakistan wary of giant-killing Bangladesh

The Asia Cup has so far followed the script of a Bollywood blockbuster. After India and Pakistan won their opening matches and Pakistan beat Sri Lanka, a win over Bangladesh would have sent the archrivals into the final, but India's dramatic loss to the hosts changed all that.
With
both the World Cup finalists out of the tournament, the stage is set for the hosts to etch this tournament forever in their history with a win over Pakistan in the final just days before the country celebrates its 42nd Independence Day on March 26. “It is by far the biggest achievement of the country,” said Tamim Iqbal, who played crucial knocks in the wins over India and Sri Lanka. Tamim was kept out of the initial squad and was only included at the last minute.

“Even if we don't win on Thursday that would take nothing away from the way we have played in the three matches in this tournament. I always thought we were a side who could fight against big oppositions but we could not finish off matches. We have begun to change all that,” Shakib Al Hasan, the No. 2 all-rounder in the ICC rankings, told HT.

After Bangladesh ran Pakistan close and upstaged India and Sri Lanka, Younis Khan was guarded. “Bangladesh are chasing well. If they get to bat second , we don't know what will happen.