Aaron Finch's World Giants and Shahid Afridi's Asia Lions will square off in battle for the trophy in Doha today.
Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi will lead the Asia Lions against Australian batsman Aaron Finch-led World Giants at the Legends League Cricket (LLC) Masters grand finale this evening.
At the flood-lit Asian Town International Cricket Stadium, both teams will have a host of batting and bowling legends powering them at the final which is set to thrill thousands of passionate cricket fans in Qatar.
The World Giants’ batting line-up looks promising, with the likes of former South Africa opener Hashim Amla, captain AFinch, West Indies six-hitting machine Chris Gayle as well as all-rounders Australian World Cup winner Shane Watson, Proteas master Jacques Kallis, last edition’s heavy hitter, Ross Taylor, and Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien in their ranks.
Brett Lee, one of the fastest bowlers of all time, will lead their bowling attack, and he will be supported by English spinner Monty Panesar, as well as Zimbabwean-Windies pace duo Christopher Bobby Mpofu and Tino Best who have taken six wickets apiece so far in the tournament.
Asia Lions will see Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan, Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq and big hitting Afridi. Being one of the most successful leg-spinners himself, captain Afridi will have plenty to choose from, including his former teammates Sohail Tanvir, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker (7), and Abdur Razzak. Dilshan, his former Sri Lankan team-mate and batting all-rounder Thisara Perera, Paceman Isuru Udana and Bangladesh’s left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak are also among Afridi’s bowling options.
On the eve of the clash, Finch indicated that he is well aware of his team’s and his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses, having played against each other many times during their international careers.
“Nothing can be taken for granted in this final. As we had done in the earlier matches, we have to give our best if we want to lift the trophy. Everyone here is a legend, and no one needs to be told how to win a final. They are all players who have fought many a battle during their international cricketing days,” Finch said.
His opposite number, Afridi said: “Everyone knows their job; everyone has played in many finals. What is needed from them is to get out there and enjoy the contest and come back the winner.”
Today’s title-clash has all the ingredients of a mouth-watering final, with both teams winning each of the previous matches in their previous outings last week.
Former Pakistan skipper Misbah unleashed his firepower in their first meeting by hitting a quick-fire 44 from just 19 deliveries to guide Asia Lions to a 35-run win in a rain-reduced match last Monday before the Watson-led men took revenge three days later.
In their next meeting, World Giants made sure they book a place in the final after relying on superb knocks from Amla and Kallis to beat the Asians by 20 runs. That forced the Asian Lions to face India Mahrajas in an eliminator, with the winner guaranteed a berth in the title clash.
On Saturday, Asia Lions rode on a steady 83-run stand between former Sri Lanka openers Tharanga and Dilshan to set a big target for Gautam Ghambir’s India Maharajas as they fell 85 runs short in the eliminator.
Speaking at a meet-and-greet event held on Saturday, Afridi said he really enjoys playing in front of the fans in Qatar. The hard-hitting batter, who held the record for the fastest One Day International century (37 deliveries) for a better part of his playing career, said he would like to see Qatar hosting international matches in future.
“Qatar can be a very good venue. We have seen a great crowd coming, cheering during the Legends League Masters tournament. Of course, if main teams – international teams come and play here in Qatar, I’m sure they will also enjoy the atmosphere. There is a lot of excitement. I even think this could be a good second option apart from UAE (to host the Asia Cup later this year). But still, to host international cricket you still need slightly better facilities in terms venue preparations. So there are lots of things to be taken care of to host international matches,” Afridi said.
“But yes. Qatar is definitely a great place to play and I’m very happy to be here. I hope one day we can see even India vs Pakistan games, and other teams like Australia to come and play here,” the 43-year-old legend said.
The final will get underway at 5:30pm.
