The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
So that is all we have from the commentary box for this encounter. Till the next time, it's goodbye and goodnight from me, Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and my fellow commentator and close mate Rajarshi Das. Cheers!!
Shahid Afridi (Asia Lions captain): That partnership between Misbah and Dilshan worked. That was the worst powerplay. We are all here to win the competition. A big thankyou to the crowd for coming up in large numbers. I think I must give credit to the organisers. They have worked hard and that’s why we could play this game. We are here to enjoy, I asked the team members whether they want to enjoy or want to win the trophy and they said, they want to win the tournament.
Aaron Finch (World Giants captain): He showed his experience there. We were a couple of bowlers short. Just having one specialist spinner was not ideal in this track. That's what it is all about, it was very challenging conditions for batters especially when it was turning away. As Misbah said, a huge thanks to the crowd for staying there despite the rain and play starting very late.
Misbah Ul Haq (Player of the Match): I thought last innings helped me. I had little bit of time in the middle which helped but it wasn’t easy at all. I think that was the key, I got a few overs spinning into me which helped me score those runs. Ball turning away you in this sort of pitch is almost impossible to play. I knew that even if it was halfway down it was difficult to hit so I came down the track and tried to convert it into full ones. A big thankyou to the crowd.
Misbah-ul-Haq is the Player Of The Match
Time for the post-match presentation ceremony with Nikhil Chopra.
Sohail Tanvir: Before starting off my international career, I used to be a left-arm spinner. The idea was that when they bowled spinners, I said, let's go, I'll bowl spin as well. It's turning out well from the hand. I hope the people are enjoying the tournament. The idea behind the tournament is to bring cricket into Qatar and promote it, so I hope the people coming in large numbers in Qatar are enjoying it.
Asia Lions won by 35 runs
Asia Lions 99/3 in 10 overs
Misbah Ul Haq 44*(19) | Tillekeratne Dilshan 32*(24) Ricardo Powell 1/17(2) | Chris Gayle 1/23(2)
Once the Asia Lions posted a more than competitive score of 99 in their allotted 10 overs, it was always going to be a mountain to climb for the World Giants, especially with spin having a big say in the context of the game. The ball gripped and turned sharply and the slowness of the track didn’t really allow them to press on the accelerator and get the big shots. Eventually, they surrendered very meekly, handing a comfortable 35-run victory to the Asia Lions.
Mohammad Hafeez bowled a brilliant opening over but Lendl Simons got the scoreboard ticking with a couple of sixes in the next two overs. It looked like Chris Gayle would make light work of the target when he went berserk in the 4th over of the bowling of Tillekeratne Dilshan. He smashed three consecutive sixes to lay the platform but what transpired in the next few overs left them with no other option but to go down by 35 runs.
Shahid Afridi broke the partnership which brought one more and from there on, it kept going down the barrel and the Asia Lions were comfortable winners in the end. Abdur Razzak just conceded a couple of runs in his two overs besides bagging a couple of wickets. Shahid Afridi also chipped in with a couple as the World Giants could only muster 64 in 10 overs.
Earlier in the day, it was an exceptional late-order blitz from Misbah Ul Haq which took the Asia Lions to a more than competitive score of 99. Asia Lions lost early wickets as strokeplay looked increasingly difficult but Misbah showed his class towards the final overs and was supported very well by Dilshan. While Misbah remained unbeaten on 44 in a mere 19 deliveries, Dilshan scored a dodgy 32 off 24 deliveries.
10
overs
64/5score
1
0
0
6
1
0
runs
Ross Taylor*
7(11)
Kevin O'Brien
8(5)
Sohail Tanvir
1/9
9.6 Sohail Tanvir to Ross Taylor, full on off, Taylor has a swing but the ball turns past his blade! The Asia Lions complete a resounding victory, the margin being 35 runs!
9.5 Sohail Tanvir to Kevin O'Brien, on a good length outside off, jabbed towards sweeper cover for a run
9.4 Sohail Tanvir to Kevin O'Brien, SIX, O'Brien finally connects! This was tossed up outside off once again, landed on a length, O'Brien gave the charge, waited for it to come and smashed it over the ropes at long off!
9.3 Sohail Tanvir to Kevin O'Brien, full outside off once again, O'Brien looks to slog but the ball turns past his blade
9.2 Sohail Tanvir to Kevin O'Brien, full outside off, O'Brien plays and misses
9.1 Sohail Tanvir to Ross Taylor, tossed up outside off, Taylor had a slog once again but found the man at deep mid-wicket
8.6 Shahid Afridi to Ross Taylor, full on off, Taylor slogs towards the man at mid wicket for a single
8.5 Shahid Afridi to Kevin O'Brien, goes for the yorker, does Afridi, O'Brien jams his bat down in time, squeezes the ball towards third man for a single
8.4 Shahid Afridi to Ross Taylor, hoicked towards deep mid-wicket again, they get a single
8.3 Shahid Afridi to Ross Taylor, FOUR, Taylor finally connects with the slog sweep! The ball spins past Khadka at deep mid-wicket and trickles to the ropes!
8.2 Shahid Afridi to Ross Taylor, full this time, Taylor plays and misses once again!