Pakistans impressive victory against Sri Lanka by 11 runs has now established the team as a force to reckon with. This is a real confidence booster as it would put other teams clashing with us during the course of the tournament under great pressure. The team discipline coupled with the degree of focus that the players displayed was good to watch. Experts rated the team as underdog because the players had been shell-shocked by the horrors of betting controversy and the banning of three players by the ICC, but this ironically gave us a psychological edge. The Sri Lankans as a result were caught unawares. Our batting side stood firm against its bowling attack. It was largely all thrash and bash by Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan that made the total score of 277 possible. When Sri Lanka came to bat, the factor of the home ground and a virtual sea of people cheering for their gladiators put a daunting challenge to skipper Afridi. Though the Lankans did not get off to a decent start as four wickets had fallen in the initial overs, the score graph kept rising consistently. What made things really difficult for us were frequent fielding fumbles - an area that still remains our weak spot particularly the catches dropped by Rehman and others and wicket keeper Kamran Akmal losing concentration and missing a crucial chance to stump out a player. Still, the bowling aggression by Shoaib, UmerGul and Afridi shifted the game to our favour, Shoaib using all his pace, while Afridi his dexterity claiming four wickets and making it extremely difficult for Sri Lankans to catch up with the required run rate. It was satisfying to see the skipper trying different things, frequently switching fielding positions and most importantly staying patient at crucial fumbles. This perseverance in fact prevented the team from losing its concentration. With our position strengthened on the points table, the cricket fever has risen in the country and the prospects for the trophy cannot be ruled out. Good cricket is just what the people need at the moment.