Last Update: March 14, 2023, 08:50 AM IST
LLC Masters: Shahid Afridi of Asia Lions against world giants
Asia Lions beat World Giants by 35 runs as Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi shine in LLC Masters
Misbah-ul-Haq helped Tillakaratne Dilshan score an unbeaten 32 off 24 balls with three fours and a six, and Asian Lions 99 for 3 in just 10 overs by scoring an unbeaten 44 off just 19 balls with four fours and three sixes. Helped in scoring runs. Despite world veteran Chris Gayle scoring 23 runs in 16 balls with three sixes, he could only manage 64 runs for 5 wickets in 10 overs. Asian Lions captain Shahid Afridi took his side to victory with a double strike in the fifth over, removing Gayle and Lendl Simmons. Bangladesh left-arm spinner Abdur Razzaq struck another double in the eighth over to remove Shane Watson and Ricardo Powell in an over as World Giants beat World Giants by 35 runs in the third match of the LLC Masters in Asia Town. Cricket Stadium in Doha.
The match was to be played as a ten-over-per-side contest as the start was delayed by two-and-a-half hours due to a wet outfield. Talking about the competition, Raman Raheja, Co-Founder and CEO, Legends League Cricket said, “The Rain Gods threw a surprise game at us here in the desert, but finally we had a good game of cricket. Contest, there were some very exciting moments in the match. The fans enjoyed and that is what counts in the end. We look forward to the next match between the Asia Lions and the Indian Maharajas on Tuesday and hope the weather brings no surprises.
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World Giants won the toss and elected to field. Left-arm spinner Monty Panesar opened the bowling and Asian Lions openers Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan could manage only four runs in the first over. The second over was also bowled by a spinner and right-arm off-spinner Ricardo Powell. He clean bowled Tharanga for 1 run on the fourth ball. Dilshan hits Panesar at long-off for his first boundary of the match. Thisara Perera smashes Chris Gayle through the covers for his second boundary of the match.
Paul Collingwood, who bowled the fifth over, was hit by Dilshan over mid-wicket for a six. Collingwood clean bowled Perera for 10 runs on the fifth ball. At the halfway mark, the Asian Lions were 33 for 2. Misbah-ul-Haq, the match-winner for the Asia Lions against the Indian Maharajas Misbah-ul-Haq hit 73 in the opening match and after taking Gayle’s first-ball double lifted the next over long-on for a six. The pair took Asia Lions past 50 runs in 6.3 overs.
Captain Aaron Finch made his introduction and bowled the seventh over conceding just six runs. Misbah lofted the first ball of Powell’s eighth over over the mid-wicket boundary and caught the next ball over long-off for another boundary. He hit another four off Powell’s final ball over long off and took 14 runs from the over. Dilshan didn’t even spare Finch’s first ball of the ninth over, hitting it over the deep cover boundary. He hit another four on the last ball over short third man. Misbah hit the first ball of Collingwood’s tenth over for a four over long-on and then shared a 50-run partnership with Dilshan in the fourth ball with a six over long-on. He hit another six over long-on off the fifth ball and collected 19 runs in the last over to remain unbeaten on 44 and Dilshan scored 32 to leave India at 99 for 3 in 10 overs.
The world giants, needing 100 runs to win, got off to a sensational start as Chris Gayle was dismissed leg before on the fourth ball of Mohammad Hafeez’s first over, but won the review. However, Hafeez conceded just two runs in the first over. Lendl Simmons hit the third ball of the second over for a six over deep mid-wicket of Tillakaratne Dilshan to take nine runs from that over. Simmons also hit the first ball of Hafeez’s third over towards mid-wicket for a big six. 19 runs were found in the first three overs.
Gayle pulled the first ball of the fourth over from Dilshan over the mid-wicket stand for a six, and in the second ball he hit another six over the long-on stand. The third delivery was hit even more powerfully into the long-on stands for his third consecutive six. Nineteen runs came from that over.
Asian Lions captain Shahid Afridi, who made his debut in the fourth over, had Chris Gayle caught at long-on in the third ball by Perera for 23 runs. He also brilliantly caught Simmons at point for 14 when the ball bounced off his hand but managed to grab the rebound. Afridi gave only four runs in that over and also took two wickets. At the halfway stage, World Giants needed 58 more runs to reach the target.
Abdur Razzaq bowled brilliantly to Aaron Finch and Shane Watson, conceding just six runs in the sixth over. In the seventh over, Sohail Tanvir removed Finch straight to deep square leg to Asghar Afghan for 2 runs. Tired of the pressure, Tanvir bowled three consecutive dot balls to Ross Taylor and conceded just one run. With 51 needed off the last 18 balls, Abdur Razzaq had Watson caught by Hafeez for 3 off the first ball of the eight over, with Powell stumped for a duck by wicket-keeper Tharanga.
51 were needed off the last 12 balls and Afridi bowled another tight spell conceding only seven runs. Tanvir’s last over saw Kevin O’Brien hit his fourth ball for a six over long off but that was the only big hit of the over and yielded only eight runs and sealed a 35-run win.
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