5 things we learnt from the Asia Cup 2016

India were crowned kings of Asia for the sixth time after they easily beat Bangladesh in the final of the 2016 Asia Cup on Sunday. Architects of that victory were two players who had contrasting tournaments until then. While Virat Kohli had beaten everything in front of him, Shikhar Dhawan was struggling for him and a Man of the Match performance in the final might be just the thing that gets him back to form.With that victory, MS Dhoni's side also equalled their best run of consecutive wins in the format and Indias form was just one of the many things we learnt in this Asia Cup. Pakistan and Sri Lanka disappointed while Bangladesh continued to exceed expectations.Here are 5 things we learnt from the Asia Cup 2016:

#5 UAE\'s impressive bowling

UAE’s bowling impressed

They might not have qualified for the upcoming World T20 qualifiers, they may not have even won a single game at the Asia Cup, but if there is one thing that UAE can take away from the tournament, it is the quality of their bowling. While it is true that the pitches in the tournament were more helpful than most T20I pitches, that should take nothing away from the quality of the UAE fast bowling.

If only they had a batting line-up which was just half as good at assessing the conditions and playing shots according to it, who knows, they could have even beaten Pakistan and Sri Lanka and created an upset or two in the tournament.

Unfortunately despite their impressive bowling, both with the new ball, where they got it in the right areas and got the ball to talk and at the death overs, with the yorkers, they remained winless throughout the tournament proper. But that shouldn't discourage them from continuing to improve and who knows, at this rate, they might develop into a team that is not just good enough to get into the next World T20 qualifiers, but perhaps qualify for the tournament as well.

#4 Sri Lanka are desperately in need of rejuvenation

Sri Lankan cricket team are in dire straits

As Australia showed when they lost Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, it is not always easy to continue on as if nothing happened, when you lose two world-class performers from the same department. Yet, despite the loss of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, the disappointing thing about the current Sri Lankan side is that they have not yet found a reliable replacement in almost a year.

Not only have they chopped and changed their batting order to the extent that nobody really knows what their role is anymore, but their batsman have also forgotten to play with a bit of common sense.

Despite the presence of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, three seasoned campaigners, Sri Lanka's top order looks vulnerable, especially on pitches that seem to offer some assistance to the bowlers. With just a week to go before the World T20, not only do they need to sort out their batting order but also need to find the right combinations with the ball and hope their captain Lasith Malinga is fit enough to lead the attack or else even their bowling starts to look a little toothless.

#3 Mohammad Amir is back

Mohammad Amir was unplayable at times during the tournament

How opinions can change in a matter of months. It was not too long ago that people were questioning why Mohammad Amir was being fast-tracked into the side after just coming back from a five-year ban for spot-fixing. There were those who wondered if he could ever get to the levels he got as an 18-year-old who was coming through the ranks at Pakistan.

If anyone had any doubt about whether Amir can go back to being the bowler he was before he was banned, they only need to look at the match against India. Defending just 84, Pakistan needed early breakthroughs and it was Amir who provided it. It was not just that he got wickets but the manner in which he got them that was impressive.

Capable of swinging the ball both ways, bowling at 150 kmph and delivering subtle variations in both pace and length, he has all the necessary ingredients to be a world-class fast bowler and Virat Kohli's comments about his spell after the game just highlight that even more. From his place in the side being questioned, Amir now has the hope of an entire nation on his shoulders in the upcoming World T20.

While he has shown he can lead the bowling attack well, Pakistan will be hoping that the form of the bowlers rubs off on the batsman as well.

#2 India look invincible

India won the Asia Cup without breaking a sweat

By winning their sixth Asia Cup, MS Dhoni's side not only ensured they went into the World T20 as firm favourites but also with the chance of breaking a world record. What was impressive about India's Asia Cup success was merely the ease with which they achieved it and all the boxes they managed to tick during the process.

Ensure the openers are in good form, done. Provide Yuvraj Singh with some deliveries to show everyone that he can still contribute with the ball, check. The return of MS Dhoni - the finisher, you bet. Wickets with the new ball and good bowling at the death, double check. All the questions India needed answered ahead of the World T20 have been comprehensively answered and ticked off.

T20 is a format where consistency is a word that is seldom used but Virat Kohli has made that a byword for his batting and there no reason why this Indian side, which has all the necessary tools and is stocked for all scenarios cannot go on and become the first side to win the World T20 twice.

Along with India, Bangladesh, who despite being in the qualifiers, represent Asia's best hope of doing well in the upcoming World T20. With the batting of Pakistan and Sri Lanka and disarray, one hopes that both countries, who are both in excellent form can make it another memorable tournament for Asian fans, after all, it has been Asian countries that have won the tournament three out of the five times it has been held.

#1 The sorry state of umpiring

Umpires made too many mistakes during the Asia Cup

Before anyone gets the opinion that this is a diatribe against the umpires in the tournament, let it be known that the following words are being written with the utmost respect to the umpires, whose jobs with thousands of people screaming cannot be easy. Umpires are known to make a mistake or two, after all, they are human, but this tournament saw far too many mistakes by umpires, that on a couple of occasions might have changed the complexion of the game.

Here are a few instances.

In the India-Pakistan game, Khurram Manzoor gloved a ramp shot into the hands of MS Dhoni but despite a confident appeal from both Ashish Nehra and the keeper, the umpire was unmoved. Fast forward to the first ball of the Indian innings and Rohit Sharma was very lucky to survive being given out lbw to an inswinging yorker by Mohammad Amir. On both these occasions, the batsman got out immediately but that shouldn't change the fact that the umpire in question got it wrong both times.

In India's penultimate group game, Thisara Perera was given out stumped when replays clearly showed he got his bat back in time. that was a call by the square leg umpire in the 19th over that could have easily been sent to the third umpire just to be sure. Instead, Perera, who was batting on 17 from 8 balls was given out on the field and Sri Lanka lost the opportunity to make a few extra runs.

While some decisions can be blamed on the lack of Decision Review System (DRS), the fact still remains, with or without assistance umpires must be able to do their job. And it shouldn't take technology to help make every decision. If that is the case, then what is the need of umpires in the first place?