Match Analysis

The hosts failed to keep the pressure on South Africa after claiming an early wicket and that's something they'll look to rectify on the second day

The performances of Sarfraz Ahmed and Aizaz Cheema played a critical role in the outcome of the Asia Cup final

An underdog always has the potential to create theatre and Bangladesh achieved that. They have succeeded in winning the hearts of their fans, and given the Asia Cup popularity

The celebrations were not restrained in Bangladesh after they made the final, but Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal said they were not yet finished

Virat Kohli's adaptability is a key strength that's helped him play such a critical role in helping India overhaul big totals

Bringing in an extra batsman would mean dropping one of the bowlers which could disturb a settled bowling attack. The problems stem from the top

Vernon Philander's extraordinary success is due to three key things: consistency, movement and strategic use of his own limitations

Sachin Tendulkar could conceivably have scored a little quicker and helped India to 20 extra runs, but would the listless bowling have been able to defend even that?

Apparently, the Bangladesh dressing room wasn't overly nervous when their kingpin, Shakib Al Hasan, was adjudged out with victory still some way off - they knew they still had Mushfiqur Rahim

New Zealand had South Africa reeling at 88 for 6 but their bowlers were unable to deliver the fatal blow, allowing South Africa to steal a first-innings lead

No matter how many batsmen Pakistan play, middle-order collapses seem to haunt them, much to Misbah-ul-Haq's chagrin. Finally, with Pakistan playing only six batsmen, Misbah and Umar Akmal gave the team a spine

They came to the Asia Cup after five games in 10 days in Australia and had their first practice the day of their first game. But it was the loss of their two allrounders that proved too big a blow for Sri Lanka to adjust to

New Zealand appeared to be well placed at 133 for 2 but Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander combined brilliantly to rip out the heart of the home side

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli have had significantly different, if not contrasting, fortunes coming into the Asia Cup. But their partnership has remained solid as ever

The opening day of Asia Cup's 12th edition in fact remained as exciting as the corresponding game from 2010, when a scintillating Shahid Afridi century almost overturned the hosts Sri Lanka

Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum are naturally aggressive but must learn from Jacques Kallis to wait for run-scoring opportunities as they attempt a record chase

A demotion to No.6 in a stop-start career was one last chance for Jacques Rudolph to revive his Test career. In this Test, he has grabbed his opportunity

The fact that South Africa have never lost a Test when Graeme Smith has scored a century, is testament to his prowess as a batsman

New Zealand's batsmen survived a technique-testing new-ball burst but squandered the advantage due to some poor shot selection

The legspinner showed signs of frustration early on, but recovered to bowl an accurate spell