The Asia Cup 2008 gets underway on Tuesday, with the ‘established’ Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan and ’semi-established’ Bangladeshi (no link because the official site ‘may harm your computer‘) teams competing against the ‘emerging’ UAE and Hong Kongese sides.
Group A
- Sri Lanka will be looking to recapture the One-Day form that brought victory over England, but which has been absent more recently. Ajantha Mendis, who I’ve mentioned recently, will be one to watch, and the six over-30’s in the squad will shoulder much of the responsibility as usual.
- Bangladesh’s only wins so far this year in One-Day Internationals have come against Ireland, which doesn’t bode well.The retirement of Mohammad Rafique and the exclusion of experienced players like Habibul Bashar, means that much will depend on young guns like Tamim Iqbal.
- The United Arab Emirates are hoping that a blend of youth and experience will help to produce the kind of performances that suggest they have a good chance of qualification (following good results in the World Cricket League last year) for the 2011 World Cup. Obviously, the UAE will be looking for performances rather than results from this tournament, but they could give Bangladesh a scare if they play out of their skins. Saqib Ali has a first class average of 55, and is likely to be the main source of runs.
Group B
- India showed both sides of their recent form in the Kitply cup, hammering Pakistan in the group stage, then leaking runs like nobody’s business in the final. Gambhir was impressive throughout the tournament with the bat, and RP Singh, amongst others, continues to show real promise with the ball.
- Pakistan, after winning the Kitply Cup, will be full of confidence, but overconfidence has backfired for them before. All of the business with Asif is a distraction, but it would be a massive surprise if Pakistan aren’t in the final. Salman Butt is fast becoming their most reliable player, and will be key to success or failure in this tournament.
- Hong Kong, who will be taking part in the World Cricket League Division 4 in October, are almost certain to be unceremoniously crushed by both India and Pakistan. Courtney Kruger could make things slightly more respectable with a few runs, but any difference will be marginal.
[...] 6, 2008 by A P Webster India took on Sri Lanka today in the final of the Asian Cup, with India winning the toss and electing to bat second. The ageless run machine that is [...]