Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
A mystery bowler spun Sri Lanka to a magnificent victory in the Asia Cup final.
Many cricketers in the world may well ask Ajantha Mendis who? They better watch out, because Mendis will soon become one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world.
His haul of 17 wickets on the flattest pitch in the world in Karachi underlines how potent his right arm everything bowling was. His six for 13 against a strong Indian batting line-up was one of the best spells in one-day cricket.
Sri Lanka also owe a lot to the recently much-maligned Sanath Jayasuriya. Back in the side at age 39 after a wonderful outing in the Indian Premier League, Jayasuriya was back at his devastating best. His century in the final was all the more important as wickets kept falling all around him.
It is sad that Sri Lanka have treated this champion batsman shoddily of late. His omission had also come at a time when Sri Lanka's one-day form was at its lowest.
Hopefully Jayasuriya can enjoy the sunset of his career and quit on his own terms. He still is one of the fittest men in cricket and he may well extend his career for another year.
Sri Lanka must now build on their achievements in this tournament. They must stop tampering with team selections and keep the core side together as the Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan in the near future.
India will be disappointed with their effort in the tournament. They were very sketchy throughout and after beating Pakistan soundly, lost the return encounter tamely.
The batsmen did their jobs but the bowlers were inconsistent. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir sizzled at the start while Suresh Raina and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did well in the middle.
Barring Ishant Sharma and R P Singh to an extent, the Indian bowling did not look threatening. Piyush Chawla had a forgettable tournament.
Pakistan were also very indifferent. On and off the field incidents did not help. Strange selection issues also brought about their downfall. Their fine performances in Bangladesh were forgotten in a hurry. Skipper Shoaib Malik was always under pressure from critics and former players who themselves were at fault in their days.
Malik at least proved that he was worth his place in the side as a batsman. Mohammed Yousuf was disappointing as was Shahid Afridi.
Still Afridi had not done that badly to be dumped from the side in Pakistan's last match.
The Pakistan think-tank will have to do a lot of soul searching now. Pakistan have a good side but non-cricketing issues are bringing the side down.
Bangladesh lived up to their reputation as wooden spooners. There were a few glimpses of what they were capable of, particularly a spectacular century from Alok Kapali. But inconsistencies persisted and they ended up just making the numbers.
Hopefully, the Pakistani authorities will prepare better wickets when the Champions Trophy comes along in September. Cricket is also a bowler's game.
