Good old Kevin Pietersen ran riot on Wednesday (January 26) as he smashed 86 runs off just 38 deliveries to lead the World Giants to a thumping seven-wicket win in match five of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) against Asia Lions. The match-winning knock from Pietersen saw World Giants go to the summit of the table with two wins and one defeat, while Lions hang on to the second place. The 41-year-old was slightly unlucky not to have recorded a hundred on the night.
After winning the toss, World XI captain Daren Sammy elected to bowl in an empty Al Amerat Stadium in Muscat. The matches are now played in an empty stadium due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases. After losing Sanath Jayasuriya (3) early, Tillakaratne Dilshan (17) and Upul Tharanga (22) steadied the ship before Ryan Sidebottom and Morne Morkel picked two wickets each to restrict the Lions to 149/7. Asghar Afghan ended as top-scorer with a 41-run knock off 26 deliveries to help his team reach a respectable total.
The Kevin Pietersen show
The veteran England batter turned back the clocks to remind how devastating he used to be, as he recorded 86 runs within no time. His knock included seven sixes and nine fours, which meant that the 150-run target was reached in just 13 overs to record a big win. Pietersen missed out on a hundred as legendary Muttiah Muralitharan got the better of him in the 11th over. Before departing, he made sure the job was done, in Jayasuriya's only over he smashed 30 runs including three fours and three sixes. Kevin O'Brien (31) and Brad Haddin (4) saw the Giants home to top the rankings.
On Thursday (January 27), India Maharajas take on World Giants, with a must-win situation for the Maharajas. They currently have only one win in three matches and are poised to make the final on Saturday. Anything less than a win will see the Maharajas sit out of the showdown final as they will also need to improve on their net run rate (NRR).
