Misbah-ul-Haq led Asia Lions from the front as they beat India Maharajas in the opening match of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023 in Qatar on Friday.
Led by Pakistan's legend Shahid Khan Afridi, Lions posted 165-6 in 20 overs while batting first. Misbah was top performer with his calculated innings of 73 off 50 balls.
The right-handed batter utilised his experience for the Lions and kept the scoreboard ticking despite losing batting partners at the other end. Upul Tharanga (40) was the only supportive hand for Misbah as they both scored 108 runs together.
Misbah stood firm after Tharanga's wicket and scored 73 including two boundaries and four maximums.
For Maharajas, Parvinder Awana and Stuart Binny bagged two wickets each. Irfan Pathan and Ashok Dinda shared a wicket apiece.
Another former Pakistani cricketer, Sohail Tanvir, helped the Lions defend the total. Tanvir bagged three crucial wickets to help his team restrict Maharajas to 156-8.
Gautam Gambhir played a captain's knock for his team as he managed to score 54 off 39 balls. Murali Vijay scored 22 but he failed to get his team over the victory line.
Apart from Tanvir, Isuru Udana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thisara Perera, and Abdul Razzaq took a wicket each for the Lions.
The Lions will now play their second match against World Giants on March 13.
About LLC
LLC is a three-team tournament featuring legendary cricketers from across the world. Doha, Qatar is hosting the even.
Pakistan's legendary cricketers including Afridi, Misbah, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Akhtar, Abdur Razzak, Mohammad Amir and Sohail Tanvir will be in action during the tournament.
LLC 2023 will be played from March 10 to 20 in Qatar. It must be noted here that after hosting FIFA World Cup for the first time last year, Qatar are now looking forward to hosting some more mega sports events in the future