The Legends League Cricket Masters 2023 kicked off in style on March 10 as Shahid Afrid's Asia Lions clinched a nine-run victory over Gautam Gambhir's India Maharajas in a fitting opener in Qatar on Friday (March 10). Riding on Misbah Ul Haq's splendid 73 off 50 Asia Lions posted a competitive total of 165/6. In reply, India Maharajas were reduced to 156/8 despite skipper Gambhir's impressive 54 off 39.
Asia Lions opted to bat first after winning the toss. Tillakaratne Dilshan and Upul Tharanga came out to open for Asia Lions. However India's star pacer Ashok Dinda shortened Dilshan's stay at the crease and dismissed him for just 5 off 6. Next came Asghar Afghan, who too fell prey to Irfan Pathan after scoring 1 off 2. Misbah then paired up with Tharanga to steady Lions' boat and stitched together a 108-run partnership for the third wicket. Misbah brought up his half-century in just 35 deliveries. Misbah clobbered two sixes in an over bowled by India's spin wizard Harbhajan Singh.
In the death overs of the innings, Lions lost wickets quickly but managed to put 165 on board in their stipulated 20 overs after losing six wickets. Misbah made 73 off 50 which was decorated with two fours and four gigantic maximums while Tharanga too chipped in with 40 off 39 balls.
While chasing 166, Gambhir-led India Maharajas didn’t get off to a good start as opener Robin Uthappa departed early in the innings on a duck. Captain Gambhir added 49 runs with Murali Vijay in the power play. However soon after the power play, spinner Dilshan dismissed Vijay for 25.
Left-handed batsman Suresh Raina couldn’t stick much to pitch as Thisara Perera got the better of him. At the other end, Gambhir continued to play sensibly and completed his fifty in just 37 balls. However soon after that Abdul Razzaq sent Gambhir packing after his 39-ball 52 which was laced with seven boundaries. Maharajas continue to lose wickets in quick succession. Mohammad Kaif and Irfan Pathan tried to steer their team towards the target but Maharajas ran out of steam and fell short of the target and lost the match by nine runs.
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