Anil Kumble
A lot of people may have been surprised to see Pakistan finish on top of the world but that sort of puzzles me. After all they were finalists in the inaugural Word T20 as well, narrowly going down to India in the final. Yes, they were a bit rusty coming into the tournament but that also meant they were fresh and hungry for success. Also this Pakistan team is very experienced in terms of their batting, with only India and South Africa running them close on those terms.
It was always a case of getting the balance right for Younis Khan and with the coming of Abdur Razzaq, a lot of his problems were solved as he could keep back Umar Gull for the second half of the innings. The two spinners Saeed Ajmal, whose doosra was hardly picked, and Shahid Afridi, as also the promising pacer Mohammed Aamer, whose snaring Dilshan in the opening over was a blow Sri Lanka never really recovered from on Sunday, were consistent right through the tournament.
In fact it was the two sides whose bowling grew from strength to strength that played the final, showing that bowlers do have a part to play in T20 cricket. Batsmen will continue to win you more matches but the bowlers are no longer mere props. They have figured out what it takes to do well in this format, added more variety and held their nerve while going for wickets too rather than just trying to be defensive.
Of course, batsmen have come up with further innovations, like the one executed by Dilshan. Had the tournaments highest scorer got going in the final, we would have had a different story. His very early dismissal added to the pressure of a final and the Lankans were caught out. Sangakkara played a captains knock and with the forever improving Angelo Mathews did manage to take his side to a respectable total in the end.
It always was an uphill task though, more so when Pakistan got to nearly 50 without losing a wicket. Then Afridi, who before the game against New Zealand where he made a quick 20-odd, hadnt exactly put bat to ball, played like a seasoned pro to see his side home in the company of Shoaib Malik. Everything came together for Pakistan at the right time, why even their fielding picked up, and they ran away to a deserved triumph.
Overall too the tournament was a success. For me the finds of the tournament were Lendl Simmons, the top-order batsman from the West Indies and Wayne Parnell, the young South African quick. Also Dilshans consistency with the bat, a rare thing in this format when the batsmen are under pressure to hit each and every ball, was amazing. Add Ajmals guile and Gulls second great run in as many World T20s, and the tournament can be termed an unqualified success.
One other factor that stood out in the tournament was South Africas experiment with spin. That they found two spinners who could squeeze their opponents, makes them a more all-round team. Now they will be able to challenge any team in any condition and thats what makes a good team into a great one.
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