While a number of bloggers, mostly Indian, complain of too much cricket much like their ODI captain MS Dhoni, I can't get enough of it.

Since the IPL all the series' played have had something to watch out for.

There was the New Zealand fightback in the ODIs against England including the last ball win, KP's switch hits, Collingwood' mood swings, emergence of McCullum as a top order test batsman, England's excitement over Bopara, Strauss proving he is here to stay, Southee showing why he's the best thing to happen to NZ cricket for a long time.

There was the West Indies trying to compete against the Aussies in the tests, a younger Australian ODI side showing why they will remain one of the best sides for some time to come, another ODI that went to the last ball, a stunning 92 from Gayle, the exciting IPL opening combination of Shane Watson and Shaun Marsh, Johnson with the white ball, David Hussey finally making it to the ODI side and hinting at why he should have been there long before.

There was the short and sweet tri-series in Bangladesh where Pakistan against all odds defied India the trophy, Younis Khan's "silencing the critics" 100 in the final, India's largest victory over Pakistan ever.

There was the battle for the Asian supremacy, where Sri Lanka emerged champions on the back off yet another spinning freak, India failing in their 2nd successive final within weeks, Misbah's emergence as potential captain, Younis Khan's continued run of form, Sehwag and Gambhir's opening salvos, King Sanga at his best, Sanath Jayasuriya breaking down all age barriers, Amjad Ali showing the talent present in the UAE, Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rauf letting the selectors know how ignorant they have been, and Suresh Raina coming of age.

So why exactly have the cricket fans been bored?

I fail to understand.

And there's more to look forward to as the South Africans gear up to take on England and the Indian Seniors try to do to Sri Lanka what the juniors could not.

Thanks to AP Webster for that brilliant description of Ajantha Mendis.

I said it here and now I'll say it again.

Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan, Anil Kumble - move over. All your records are going to be broken by this man.

Balapuwaduge Ajantha Winslo Mendis.

Give him 10 years, and as long as his fingers stay intact, he will break all bowling records - tests and ODIs.

When I wrote that I mentioned these figures:

vs West Indies: 10-0-39-3
vs UAE: 6.3-1-22-5
vs Pakistan: 10-0-47-4

ODI Career: 40.3-3-163-12

Add to this what Mendis did to India today.

8-1-13-6

He did that to arguably the best batting side in the world and definitely the best players of spin.

He did that to a team that Shane Warne could never dominate. Well Warne hasn't played against these players but you know what I mean.

He dominated them, he tormented them, he murdered them, and he buried them as India fell to their worse defeat in recent times.

ODI Career: 56-4-205-20

He could win a test match alone with those figures!

Truly the "Incandescent with the White Light of Spin Bowling Magic"

For all the history on Ajantha Mendis:

Do You Know Ajantha Mendis
Visual Proof of Ajantha Mendis' Trickery
The Perfect Answer to "Do You Know Ajantha Mendis"

I expected it before, and I'm expecting it again.

113* off 94. 21 overs to go.

The first ever double ton in ODIs?

15.6 Singh to Jayasuriya, SIX, Third six of the over. The legend is on the hunt here. Banged in short, doesn't have the pace to hurry Jayasuriya who pulls it into midwicket stands. What a wallop. 26 runs in this over. Scintillating stuff. Sri Lanka's fortunes hang on Jayasuriya's bat.

15.5 Singh to Jayasuriya, no run, Oh swing and a miss. Again it was in the slot. Width offered outside off and Jaya wanted to loft it over covers

15.4 Singh to Jayasuriya, FOUR, Carnage continues. RP hurls it short and wide - why, you have to ask him - and Jayasuriya murders it over extra cover. Super batting this. Great entertainment.

15.3 Singh to Jayasuriya, FOUR, Gallops to 77 with a carve over covers. After serving two full pitched deliveries, RP hit the short of length. No luck. Try something else.

15.2 Singh to Jayasuriya, SIX, They have spiked his drinks I tell you. Not that he needs any thing to make him hit more. This time he goes over long-off. Another imperious thrust of the front foot and a clean swing of the blade. Up up and over

15.1 Singh to Jayasuriya, SIX, Wallop. Massive hit over long-on. He thrust his front foot out and swung a full delivery over the boundary.

87* of 58!! He's taking it single handedly to the Indians!

vs Pakistan: 10-0-68-0

vs Sri Lanka: 10-0-80-1

vs Sri Lanka, Final:

10.6 Pathan to Jayasuriya, 1 run, 114.6 kmph delivery off the scrambled seam, outside off and Jaya retains the strike with a dab to Ishant at third man

10.5 Pathan to Jayasuriya, no run, 127 kmph delivery and outside off, cut hard but straight to point. A deep point is in place now

10.4 Pathan to Jayasuriya, FOUR, And again. Yummy little short-arm cut over point. Typical Jayasuriya. Great to watch. A tad short in length and outside off, Jayasuriya went back to carve it up and over

10.3 Pathan to Jayasuriya, FOUR, 113.02 kmph drifts down leg and Jayasuriya tickles it to fine-leg boundary. Ten runs from the first three balls. Jayasuriya is going after Pathan.

10.2 Pathan to Jayasuriya, 2 runs, a 99.02 kmph slower one and Jayasuriya dashes down the track and is a touch early into his lofted shot but clears the covers. Sehwag ran back but couldn't reach it.

10.1 Pathan to Jayasuriya, FOUR, 125.3 kmph gentle seam-up delivery outside off and Jayasuriya blasts it off the back foot through covers.

Why is he playing?

That said, Lankans seem to be in trouble. Not cause of Pathan though.

Following Afridi's first ball duck against Sri Lanka a few days ago, I had heard that Afridi was found crying in the dressing room.

I chose not to post on as I did not feel good writing about it.

Men don't cry. Or do they?

Well the news that Afridi shed some tears has found its way into the media and a number of sites are reporting it.

Times of India, NDTV, New India Press, The Hindu, and Tribune India are all carrying the story.

I guess the Pakistani media also felt bad reporting about it.

Not only do the reports mention Afridi's weeping, they also discuss Afridi's meeting with a "holy man" to seek help for getting out of his batting slump.

Reports mention that The "holy man" had told Afridi not to worry and advised him to relax and pray.

Amazing advise that is. I wonder if Matthew Hayden had met the same "holy man" during his slump in form that lasted some 30 innings or so.

The reports also mention that Afridi had asked the team management to drop him for the next few games.

I have no words for Afridi. He must be the first Pakistani player to make such a request. I wonder why then the captain and coach insisted on playing him.

He is a bowler for God's sake and even he knows that about himself. Why would he ask to be dropped?

Strange things.

Even stranger reporting.

The crying part is true though.

I just wrote about how Misbah looked like the man who could take Pakistan cricket forward.

But then I thought about the dreaded leash that takes away all power and control from the Pakistan captain.

Around Misbah's neck though, it seems to be a bit more loose than it is around Shoaib Malik's or others.

I've heard that it was Misbah who pushed for the selection of Saeed Ajmal in the squad for the Asia Cup.

A number of people, including me, questioned Ajmal's inclusion at the time.

Misbah, however knew what he was doing.

Throughout the Asia Cup Misbah kept pushing for Ajmal's inclusion in the XI but the request kept falling on deaf ears.

Finally the selectors gave in when they sat down to select the XI for the match against India, and aptly so for a match in which Misbah was to captain.

Ajmal repaid the faith placed in him with handy figures of 1-47, the best among Pakistan's bowlers against India last night.

He kept the batsmen tied down, bowled the doosras with aplomb, and didn't allow Dhoni nor the Pathan brothers to take-off during the last 10 overs.

He did a job that Saqlain Mushtaq used to once do for Pakistan - bowl at the death, pick up wickets, and restrict runs.

Saeed Ajmal has been around the Pakistan domestic scene for 11 years having played 72 First Class and 92 List A matches for Faisalabad, where he is originally from.

Many of those matches have been played under Misbah, who has captained Faisalabad for 5 years now.

So Misbah definitely knew what he was doing calling for Ajmal's inclusion in the 15 and then the XI.

What matters here is that the selectors, or moreso the Chairman, listened to Misbah. Something they haven't done with Malik or Lawson.

Does Misbah then command a certain amount of respect and credibility that Malik doesn't?

Surely.

What also matters here is that Misbah knows who can get the job done and under what circumstances.

Does this then make Misbah the ideal man to lead Pakistan going forward?

Definitely.

Pakistan had lost badly to India and Sri Lanka. They had failed to defend 300 as well as chase it.

They were going into a game that they could not afford to lose to keep their hopes of an Asia Cup final alive. They were up against an opponent who had had the better of them in the recent past.

Their batsmen were not firing whereas India's, Sri Lanka's, and even Bangladesh's were knocking 100s left, right, and centre.

Their bowlers had looked listless against the Gambhirs, Sehwags, Sangakkaras, Jayasuriyas, Rainas, Dhonis et all.

Given all this leading up to a crunch game against India with the captain's availability in doubt, what does one do?

One can do a lot to lift a team, but what Misbah, the stand-in captain, did was something that seemed a bit over confident and out of character for a Pakistan captain.

During the press conference on the eve of the match, to a question on whether he was ready for the captaincy or not, Misbah responded with:

"I am ready for the captaincy. When you are vice-captain you always are ready for nearly everything, so I am ready for it. I will take along the team with me and win the match."

Misbah had also talked about how it would be India who would be under more pressure than Pakistan, something that Osman Samiuddin had termed "Cute Kidology".

It definitely was that given the recent perfrmances of both the teams.

Then came the morning of the match.

Pakistan lost Shoaib Malik and Misbah was told to walk out for the toss. Now it was in Misbah's hands to make sure he and the team lived up to what he had talked about the night before.

Misbah lost the toss. India went into bat and posted 308.

Pakistan were chasing a total of over 300, something they had failed to do earlier in the tournament, and something they had successfully done only 4 times before this match.

But MISBAH DELIVERED!

And boy, did he deliver!

Not only did Pakistan chase that total down, they did so comfortably, and Misbah was right there in the middle when it happened hitting the winning runs.

Misbah took the team along with him as he had mentioned and won the match.

Misbah, who in the past had been criticized for not finishing matches, did just that last night - he finished it and remained unbeaten on 70 in an unbroken partnership of 144 with Younis Khan.

Misbah made India look like the team that was under more pressure. Again something he had talked about earlier.

In the post match conference he talked about being positive - about how he had told his bowlers to remain positive despite going for 8-9 runs an over and about how he had told his openers to go out and be positive rather than preserve wickets.

The result of that was India, who were 88 for no loss after 10 overs, slipped to 91-3 at the end of 12. And the result of that was an opening partnership of 65 in 8 overs, which could have been more had it not been for the misunderstanding between Salman and Nasir.

What Misbah said could have backfired, but last night, Misbah looked like the hero.

He looked like the man in charge who was living up to what he had talked about and he looked like the man who could lead Pakistan cricket going forward.

Unlike popular belief, Pakistan will not have to ensure that they end up on a better run rate than India's if they end up tied on points at the end of the Super-4 stage.

This is what I just read on Cricinfo:

If India lose, and Pakistan beat Bangladesh, Pakistan go through. This scenario will have both India and Pakistan tied at four points, but Pakistan would head into the final by virtue of more wins in the Super Four stage.

However, if India beat Sri Lanka today, it will be all over for Pakistan despite their remarkable victory last night.

I'm hearing that Sri Lanka may rest some key players tonight with Jayasuriya, Murali, and Vaas likely to be rested since they have already qualified for the finals.

That will make India's task definitely easier.

Given that who Sri Lanka will face in the final hinges on today's result, they should be looking to play their best XI. Surely they don't want to face the favorites in the final.

Plus the final is 3 days away, which gives the players ample time to recover.

For India, its their 2nd game in as many days and the heat in Karachi is quite unbearable so they may be a bit jaded from last night.

However, knowing that a win takes them to the finals, I'm sure they'll be pumped up.

Or will they?

Dhoni on more than one occasion has complained about the heat and the schedule, and rightly so.

Maybe he wants to catch the first flight back.

All of Pakistan will be praying for that.

For Sri Lanka - today you've got an additional 150 million supporters!

I just realized that India and Sri Lanka got 2 carry-forward points each from the group stage. My simple reaction was...WTF??? Why???

CF points are normally used in lieu of playing the same team again in the next stage. But in this tournament, each team plays each other again anyway. What were the organizers smoking when they put the rules together???

So thanks to the pointless CF points, Sri Lanka has to beat India for Pakistan to have a chance (assuming Pakistan beat Bangladesh). Without CF, even if India beat Sri Lanka, it would come down to NRR between Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka (again, assuming Pakistan beat Bangladesh).

Last time it was some obscure bonus point that screwed Pakistan. This time it very well could be CF points.

However, if you do look at it from the angle that CF points were carried forward and the relevant teams didn't play each other again, then you'd have the following situation after today's match:

SL: 4
Ind: 2
Pak: 0
Ban: 0

So in that way, SL would have to beat India anyway for Pakistan to have a chance.

Regardless, I think the best would be to have everyone play each other as happened, but no CF points. Combining the two makes no sense.

grumble...mumble...

From Cricinfo Ball by Ball:

Third powerplay on. Two fielders out of the inner circle. Misbah had opted for three men out in the last powerplay.

I don't know if captains have done this in the past, but this is the 1st time I've seen or read about it.

What more, the move resulted in 3 wickets for Pakistan in the first 2 overs of that 2nd powerplay.

Pakistan has a new captain, but is he here to stay?

From Cricinfo ball-by-ball:

11.5 Abdur Rauf to Raina, no run, short of length, on the middle and leg, turned to the on side. "That's the better line boy," says Sarfraz.

Thats the first time I've heard a 21 year old refer to a 29 year old as "boy" !

And the boy has taken 2 wickets in 1 over and brought Pakistan right back into it.

On a separate note, this is Misbah's first match as captain.

Shoaib Malik collapsed during a fitness test earlier today, which led to Misbah donning the captain's cap and Nasir Jamshed getting a game at the top of the order.

As widely specualted, Saeed Ajmal is making his debut, chosen ahead of leggie Mansoor Ahmjad, while Wahab Riaz was replaced by the Boy!

Its a must win game for Pakistan and their new captain has vowed to win this one.

“Geoff spoke highly of Afridi and told us that the team will need his experience against India”

- chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed told ‘The News’.

This piece in The News is painting a picture that says that the selectors had decided to drop Shahid Afridi for the match against India today but have included him in the XI on Lawson and Malik's insistence.

It was only 3 months ago that Lawson wanted Afridi out of the team. And the tension between Afridi and Malik is well documented on Well Pitched and other places.

In view of this, I believe that the quote above and the article in The News, is only propaganda to safeguard the selectors' backsides.

I have no doubts whatsoever that Afridi should be in the team as a bowler. There is no replacement for him.

However, many in Pakistan - media and fans, players and administrators - have run out of patience with him.

Thus, in order to avoid the wrath of the world, the selectors are sending out messages that Afridi is playing because Lawson and Malik want him to.

Why are you misguiding the public Mr. Sallu?

We all know that you are the Afridi supporter.

We all know that in the past you have convinced Lawson and Malik on more than once occassion on Afridi's inclusion in the XI.

So what made the tables turn Mr. Sallu?

Is that Leash tightening around your neck?

As the Asia Cup has gone on, speculation over whether Malik and Lawson will survive the axe or not has grown immensely.

Humiliating losses to India and Sri Lanka, Malik shying away from the post-match and press conferences, and Lawson's outburst on the media has all resulted in everyone questioning their positions as captain and coach of Pakistan.

During the lunch interval of the Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh match yesterday, journalists staged a protest demanding the sacking of Geoff Lawson. All this even after Lawson had apologized for his behaviour.

So will the PCB succumb to this media pressure or will they let it be?

Many are saying that if Pakistan fail to reach the final of the Asia Cup, Lawson and even Malik will face the axe.

Unfair?

Well the problem here is not winning or losing the Asia Cup. Its much bigger than that.

It lies in the leash!

It lies in the leash the Chairman has tied around the selectors, the captain, the coach, the senior players.

The problem lies in each one of them wanting the control but neither having any.

The Chairman wants to have his squad, his captain, his coach, his XI on the field, yet he can't control what happens on the field.

The Chairman holds the selectors, the captain, the coach, and the senior players by a tight leash but once they go on the field, the leash is gone and the Chairman can't do much apart from jumping and waving in the stands.

The selectors want their players in the squad and in the XI, they want to dictate to the captain and the coach, but in reality they are just tied to that leash in the hand of the chairman and keep bending over to him.

In the end they don't get what they want, nor do they give the captain and coach what they want.

The captain keeps begging for his choice of players, argues with the selectors, reasons with the Chairman but each time that leash keeps getting tighter around his neck.

He tries to lead from the front, tries to bring the best out of the players, but the unsupporting senior players send all those efforts to the cleaners.

In reality the captain is walked around with that leash and when set free on the field, he seems all at sea.

The coach doesn't get along with the selectors, doesn't get along with the journalists, doesn't get along with the senior players, and with that leash around his neck just bends over to the Chairman after every demand of his is shunted.

The coach puts in all his efforts to build a cohesive unit but when no one listens he sits down quietly with that leash around his neck and takes home a fat cheque for bending over.

The senior players feel hard done by for not being allowed to captain Pakistan, for not having a say in selection matters, for not having the resonsibility that a junior captain has.

They don't feel like doing their best when the coach and captain are so uninspiring. They want to do more, want to say more, but that tight leash keeps them quiet.

The senior players want to have the control that once an Imran Khan, and a Wasim Akram, and an Inzamam Ul Haq had, but with every one-on-one meeting with the Chairman, their demands are buried and the leash is tightened.

At the end what we have is Pakistan cricket in a bloody mess created by a $%^&ing leash!

What is the solution one may ask?

Dump the leash and start over.

You need only one man in control and sadly no one but Imran Khan, who wants to be no where near the cricket set up, can command such control.

Maybe the cricket should be handed over to some Big Brother from Mumbai.

Atleast his leash will be more frightening!

Sri Lanka 175-0 in 25 overs.

Jayasuriya 119* off 80. 15 4s, 6 6s.

First ever 200 in ODIs on the cards?

Third score of above 400?

vs West Indies: 10-0-39-3

The first ever Asian Cricket Awards were held in Karachi on Friday.

Australia have held award nights for many years now with the "Allan Border Medal" being the event of the year. Everyone looks forward to that night in order to get a peak of the Aussie WAGS.

South Africa held their awards recently as well. I'm not sure whether this was their first time or of they've done so before as well.

India could have had an award night or two of their own if they had learnt something from Bollywood, which I think has 10 award functions every year.

Why in this case they wanted to hold one jointly with Pakistan and Sri Lanka is beyond me.

The BCCI with Bollywood in tow could have held a GRAND Awards night even if they wanted to have one with Pakistan and Sri Lanka's involvement.

Have the Indian cricket Administracrats missed a trick here?

Have they missed out on a money making opportunity?

Where were Sharad Pawar and Niranjan Shah when these awards were being planned? Or above all, where was the man who has given entertainment to all and made money for the BCCI - Lalit Modi?

Think about this:

Asian Cricket Awards.

Hosts: Ravi Shastri and Karan Johar.

Presenters: Ajay Jadeja & Neha Dhupia / Shoaib Akhtar & Rakhi Sawant.

Performances: Kareena Kapoor, Mallika Sherawat, Shahurkh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Celina Jaitely, Amrita Arora, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Abhishek And Aishwariya Bachan, Meera, Reema, Resham, Shaan, Mummar Rana, Shahid Afridi, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam, Hadeeqa Kiyani, Shahid Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Saif Ali Khan, and more.

Award Presenters: Imran Khan and Hema Malini, Wasim Akram and Madhuri Dixit, Sunil Gavaskar and Rekha, Kapil Dev and Jaya Bachchan, Arjuna Ranatunga and Bindoo, Shoaib Akhtar and Rakhi Sawant, Saurav Ganguly and Nagma, and more.

Award Categories:
Best Cricketer, Male
Best Cricketer, Female
Best Match
Best Coach
Best Captain
Best Supporting Captain
Best Supporting Cricketer
Best Supporting Coach
Best Wicket Keeper
Best Cricketer in Catch-Dropping Role
Best Cricketer in Comic Dismissals
Best Debutant of the Year
Best Run Out (fielder)
Best Run Out (batsman)
Lifetime Achievement Award

To add to the glamour and achievements the TV people should have also gotten awards in the following categories:

Best Commentator
Best Supporting Commentator
Best Sound from Stump Mic
Best Cameraman
Best Pitch Curator
Best Presenter
Best News Channel
Best Weather Forecast Predictor
Best Cricket Show
Best Cricket Movie

And the Administrators as well.

Best Selector
Best Supporting Selector
Best Board Member
Best Supporting Board Member
Best Chairman
Best Supporting Chairman
Richest Board Member

The rights to telecast the show should have been put up for grabs -Sony, ZEE, ESPN, Star, Neo, Ten Sports, Fox, and others would have vied for the rights and the BCCI would have received a multi-million dollar cheque.

Cricket and Bollywood in India - how did the BCCI miss this money making idea?

Throw Pakistan into the mix and play the India-Pakistan solidarity angle and you have a sure shot winner.

Throw Sri Lanka in and market the "Asia is One" gimmick and you have a sure shot money spinner.

Then why was an Asian Cricket Awards night held in Karachi, where no such performances were possible instead of Mumbai or Delhi?

Oh BCCI, you have disappointed.

If you turn it around next time and follow my tips, I will expect Royalty.

You'll make money, I'm sure you can share a little.

For a change Pakistan have decided on the playing XI ahead of their match against Sri Lanka later today. Not only that but they have also made it public.

Fawad Alam has been dropped and leg spinner Mansoor Amjad comes in place of him, while Wahab Riaz replaces the injured Umar Gul.

Is it a good idea to play a 2nd leg spinner? With the so many left handers in Sri Lanka's batting line up, wouldn't an off spinner (Saeed Ajmal) have been a better option?

The Hong Kong cricketers were annoyed at the PCB officials at the National Stadium in Karachi when they came to the ground "un-invited" to watch the Pakistan vs India match.

Shouldn't the PCB be looking to be as hospitable as possible given the apprehension of foreign teams to tour he country?

Sanath Jayasuriya began the Asia Cup with a thumping 47 ball 72 against Bangladesh. He rested against the UAE but will play against Pakistan today. He turns 39 tomorrow and says he has no plans of retiring.

How long can he go on for?

Suresh Raina scored his 2nd ODI hundred 3 days after his 1st century.

Is he finally showing what he promised a couple of years ago or is it just the weak opposition?

MS Dhoni has complained about the back to back games that India has played. They played Hong Kong and Pakistan on consecutive days and then after a days break, they played Bangladesh. Complain justified definitely.

But why aren't the hosts, Pakistan, playing any back to back games?

I have never seen a score of 300 chased so easily in ODIs. Never!

Pakistan's weakest bowling attack ever? Or the weakest bowling attack in international cricket?

Pakistan and India have stated that they are going to support Zimbabwe on the issues it is facing in world cricket. Nianjan Shah said “We are very clear that we would like to fully support Zimbabwe..."

Didn't India cancel / postpone a tour to Zimbabwe earlier this year to accomodate the IPL?

The PCB is looking to get the result of the 2006 Oval Test changed to a "Draw", when the ICC big-wigs meet for some moot in Dubai from today.

What difference does it make? Aren't there more serious issues on the table? Like maybe Australia, New Zealand, and England touring the country?

Shoaib Malik told the journalists that the selectors give him the final XI, so any question regarding the make up of the team should be directed at he selectors.

As captain, doesn't Malik agree with the XI he's given? Doesn't he know why a Rao Iftikhar plays ahead of a Wahab or a Sohail Khan? Doesn't he know why he's opening and not Nasir?

Nasim Ashraf was surprised that a "sensible cricketer" like Majid Khan called for his ouster as the PCB Chairman.

Dr. Sahab, with all due respect, only a "sensible cricketer" can make such a statement.

Cricinfo is reporting that Saeed Ajmal will probably make his debut today.

Didn't they get the news of Pakistan announcing their playing XI?

India has not beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup since 1988!

Pakistan has not beaten India at the National Stadium in Karachi since 1983!

Something definitely has to give in today's Asia Cup match between Pakistan and India.

Barring a TIE ofcourse!

In 20 years of history of the Asia Cup, the highest team score was Pakistan's 343-5 against Hong Kong in the 2004 edition.

India scored 374-4 against Hong Kong last night.

Sri Lanka scored 357-9 against Bangladesh last night.

Is it the weak opposition?

Is it the pitches that have gone deader over the years?

Or is it the "evil" 20-20 cricket that has upped scoring rates in ODIs?

Before this edition of the Asia Cup, 13 batsmen had scored 17 centuries between them in 20 years of the tournament.

In 4 matches this year, 4 batsmen have scored 4 centuries.

Mohammad Ashraful - 109 vs UAE
Suresh Raina - 101 vs Hong Kong
MS Dhoni - 109* vs Hong Kong
Kumar Sangakkara - 101 vs Bangladesh

Is it the weak opposition?

Is it the pitches that have gone deader over the years?

Or is it the "evil" 20-20 cricket that has upped scoring rates in ODIs?