In many ways, it felt like a disappointment. Such a marvellously entertaining tournament - a real joy in comparison to some of the interminable competitions in world cricket - deserved a thrilling finale, and instead it felt more like a victory march.

But to see Pakistan, a team who are denied the joys of regular cricket by their country's political unrest and a team who fell agonisingly short in 2007, celebrating with their vibrant fans in the sunshine at Lord's was a heart-warming scene.

'A victory for cricket' was how the match was billed in the build-up, and given the events this year it was impossible to argue. The tournament's best two sides were in the final, showing that this form of the game relies more on skill than luck, and either one of them would have represented worthy champions.

But gushing aside, what this final showed was that this tournament has belonged to the bowlers. The man of the tournament may have been batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan, but the fact that he finished miles ahead of his peers in the run-scoring chart shows two things: that he is hands down the best twenty20 player in the world, and that bowling in the game has evolved to such a level that few batsmen can maintain high standards for long periods of time.

South Africa's bowlers managed to defend two totals where the opposition needed little more than a run a ball, but the Proteas were knocked out by a superior bowling attack in the semi-final. Umar Gul achieved such incredible effects with the ball that suspicions were raised over the legitimacy of it all. Time and time again Sri Lanka's spinners wrapped themselves around opposition batsmen and squeezed the life out of them, and England even managed to defend a par score against a powerful Indian line-up on a good pitch.

The final was decided in the opening six overs when Mohammad Aamer and Abdul Razzaq, a fresh 19 year old and a prodigal son with a fine sense of timing, ripped through Sri Lanka to expose the lower order - their soft underbelly and one real weakness.

Dilshan has been a wonder to watch over the past 16 days, managing as he did to contort his body and twist his wrists into new positions as he constantly improvised to combat increasingly cunning bowlers, but even he was eventually worked out by Pakistan and made to look impotent in the final.

Once he had been conquered and the middle order had folded Pakistan hardly wobbled, and the fact that they're the one team with real experience of facing Ajantha Mendis showed. Whereas other sides couldn't help but become entwined in the young spinner's web, Pakistan effortlessly took him for eight an over.

One final reflection on this tournament is that it suggested the sub-continental sides will rule twenty20 for the foreseeable future.

The tournament was played in English conditions and yet two of them made the final. Pakistan won despite missing out on this year's IPL and a whole feast of other cricket over the past 18 months. The importance of spinners continues to rise, and a number of superb pacemen have sprung up from the sub-continent. When maneuverability is so key, wristy batting is king.

I wouldn't bet against another Asian victory when we do it all again in just ten months.