It was so close yet so far story for Bangladesh as they lost the Asia Cup to Pakistan by two runs at Sher-E-Bangla Stadium on Thursday. Nevertheless they fought till the end and won many hearts.
Distraught with the result, Bangla skipper said the dismissals of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib-Al-Hasan proved to be the turning point of the final.
"We had prepared well before the tournament and the boys stuck to the plans. We played good in the tournament, I thought, but the wickets of Shakib and Tamim were the turning point tonight," Rahim said after the heartbreak, writes The Times Of India.
"The wicket is a bit slowish. It's not easy to score runs here but Tamim and Shakib played well. We gave away some runs in the last over and 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 promised a better performance in the future.
Meanwhile The Hindu writes the first anniversary — April 2 — of India's World Cup triumph is drawing close but over the past few months, the team has returned home with empty hands! “It is a legacy that does not sit easy with M.S. Dhoni's men. The story was no different out here in the Asia Cup. A continental tournament in which India defeats both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, is often expected to unveil the high table of big trophies but Bangladesh spoilt the expected party. The damage was done on the same day when Sachin Tendulkar kept his date with destiny,” says the article, adding that R. Ashwin with five wickets and an economy rate of 5.20 largely emerged unscathed but the rest lost their bearings in the slog.
“Irfan Pathan and Praveen Kumar, also bagged five each but they lacked sting during the batting Power Play and in the final overs. Until recently, the fallacy of poor bowling was often overlooked amidst the larger picture of inept batting in alien conditions,” adds The Hindu.
Other news (TOI, HT, Indian Express, The Hindu, The Tribune)
Afghanistan qualify for World Twenty20: Afghanistan booked their place in the 2012 World Twenty20 on Thursday with a 47-run victory over Namibia in the first final of the 16-nation qualifying tournament. In a battle of two undefeated teams, Afghanistan were bowled out for 146 in their 20 overs before Namibia were dismissed for 99 in the 19th over. Despite the loss, Namibia will get a second chance of making the World Twenty20 when they face either Ireland or the Netherlands in Saturday's second qualifying final.
Gayle’s IPL commitment costs him WI berth: West Indies opener Chris Gayle is set to miss whole of Australia’s tour after a meeting with West Indies Cricket Board officials failed to resolve issues related to his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitment. According to reports, Gayle was keen to end his dispute with the board, which has kept him out of international cricket since last year's World Cup. It’s now understood that a difference of opinion over whether Gayle should be allowed to honor his IPL contract, instead of representing the West Indies caused Monday’s talks in St Vincent to break down, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Focus on rehabilitation, Lorgat’s advice to Amir: ICC CEO Haroon Lorgat says he feels “sad” for disgraced Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir but asserted that the bowler who is serving a five-year ban for spot-fixing should focus on his rehabilitation instead of looking for ways to get the sanction reduced. Aamir does not intend to seek a relaxation to the ICC ban on him and Lorgat said that is the way to go for the youngster who should be focussed on his rehabilitation. “I would prefer that the starting point should not be about whether we (ICC) could reduce the sentence,” Lorgat told a website.
