The last two days have been rather uneventful. After any India-Pakistan match the emotions and pent-up energies of everybody involved are drained and spent. There is not much to look forward to or be agitated about. Yesterday, particularly in the afternoon, the collective feeling of the regulars at our table in the Lounge was akin to that of post -coital depression.

A match was going on. judging by the images on the giant television screen to which not many seemed to be paying much attention. At some point it was observed that Sri Lanka were batting first. How and why they were doing so was not wholly relevant. The fact that they even lost wickets rather quickly was not something that was able to lay too much claim to one’s attention. It was a match like any other, a match that was academic to the point of being pointless under the present state of this year's Asia Cup.

With India being shown the door post haste, there Is not quite the same degree of interest left among the cricket aficionados in Dhaka. Except perhaps to find out if Pakistan can actu-

ally become champions for the first time, after years of trying. India, four time champions, had to make an undignified exit, smarting from the wounds Inflicted by both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, two teams left in the competition after Bangladesh the hosts were sent into exile in their own country.

The regulars at the cable therefore had other priorities on their minds. The Snooker Ball dominated the conversation. Whether Sri Lanka would be able to recover from the early dismissals of Aravinda and Jayasuriya was of lesser concern than the persistent tension that refused to go away because there were too many loose ends still left to be sorted out for the mega-event. One was not talking of the final though It is the 29th that was of major concern.

Atapattu continued to play the lone fiddle while everything burned around him. His was a painstaking knock and he held the innings together for as long as he could After the fireworks of the last match this form of sedate mournful cricket where mere survival was the name of the game. was not going down well with anybody though. Adnan Mansur, who already had an inkling of what the day was likely to turn out to be, had already left town, leaving terse messages that he could not be sighted before late evening. The slow run rate did not bother even Sohel Murshed who pointedly observed that condensed milk did not go with the coffee served. Mir Snahidullah complained about everything. As far as he was concerned the giant screen less than three yards from him did not even exist. As-far and Ibrahim were more concerned with discussing such vital issues as floor plans and blinking lights with someone who did not seem to know one end of a cricket bat from another. to notice Srl Lankas Eredicaments. To give him the

enefit of doubt. Asfar. who had played league cricket In his time, did however make the point that Aravinda should have continued running to the pavilion and not waited for the third umpire to rule him out. But that was as much concession that he made to the match It was that kind of afternoon.

The Pakistanis continued to pile on the pressure, bowling a good line and length, with the chemistry’ of pace and spin both working to perfection and the fielders hitting the stumps. The Sri Lankans had their backs to the wall. In the end a score of 192 was all they managed. The bowling, formidable even on paper, was Incisive and deadly in actual practice. The Pakistanis were on top throughout the afternoon. Would they be able to get the runs when they batted? Did anybody care? Not the above mentioned lot. for sure.

Which basically leit only one star player who had not been discussed yet. With the Indian run machine out of commission and sent for repairs, ailvntlon naturally shifted to Hu sudden and rapid ascen-d.HK y of Musa's stars in the |w»st week. On .present form he is undoubtedly the Sachin Tendulkar ol the social circuit

Hard-hitting and aggressive, he has shown enough glimpses of what he has achieved and Is likely to do so in the near future.

Whatever the outcome of this match may have been, the Pakistanis look like pursuing the Musa approach. Barring an absolute thunderbolt that may disrupt their plans, Pakistan look well prepared for the final For that matter. Musa too!