India lift Asia Cup for ninth time in tense final

Pakistan lose nine wickets for 33 runs in low-scoring match

- Sa'adi Thawfeeq

In a historic clash between the two Asian giants for the first time in an Asia Cup final, India showed their dominance of the tournament by beating Pakistan by five wickets in a low-scoring match that went down to the wire, in front of a sold-out crowd of 28,000 spectators at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium yesterday.

It was India's ninth win in the tournament, but it was no one-sided affair like the previous meetings between these two sides. It ebbed and flowed and, in the end, it was India's batting depth that outdid Pakistan.