Retired cricket stars like Shahid Afridi, Aaron Finch, Shoaib Akhtar, Harbhajan Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Brett Lee, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson and Paul Collingwood were giants of the sport in their time. They turned back the clock in the first ever edition of the Skyexch.net Legends League Cricket (LLC) Masters in Doha.
A cricket rockstar of his time, Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar is delighted to be part of the Legends League Cricket. The 47-year-old, who once broke the 100-mile barrier with his super-fast delivery to opener Nick Knight during a 2003 World Cup match against England, said the cricket league featuring the game’s stars from a by-gone era is here to stay.
“The LLC is a wonderful tournament. The tournament has become larger than life. The league will start to get more competitive now going forward with the recently-retired players who might join the league in coming seasons, the league will only grow,” Akhtar said in an interview during the 10-day tournament played among three teams – Asia Lions, World Giants and India Maharajas.
“I would like to thank Vivek and Raman Raheja (Co-Founder and CEO of LLC) for a fantastic job in putting this mega tournament together. It’s great fun to play against these guys. The platform is providing me an opportunity to meet my old friends. It’s a burst of memories when we all are playing together. We share old anecdotes from our playing time. We share a good bond and give our best so that the fans can enjoy,” he added.
The ‘Rawalpindi Express’ said: “Unfortunately I injured myself while diving and twisted my knee here in Doha. If I were not injured, I would have definitely bowled my 4 overs and tried to add value to the team. But last year I made sure that I played every game and bowled 4 overs. It’s about how much I can participate and make it big for this league. I am just a little contributor to make this league better and enhance the value of my team.”
India’s World Cup-winning batsman Suresh Raina sounded just as enthusiastic while praising the running of LLC. He said: “The kind of hospitality that we have received from LLC is amazing. We are all having fun. We are playing cricket with our old friends and teammates, those with whom we have won the World Cup, played ODIs, Test matches, and even the IPL; in a way, we are playing with all the legends. It all brings back memories of when we were playing together, and everyone is enjoying themselves. The whole purpose of the LLC Masters is to spend as much time as possible playing together and entertaining the crowds.”
Australian cricket greats with multiple ICC trophies under their belts, fast bowler Brett Lee and all-rounder Shane Watson also seemed thrilled to be part of the LLC extravaganza. An intimidating fast bowler from 1999 to 2012 when he retired, Lee – who played for World Giants – said he was chuffed to take a wicket at the ripe age of 46. He played a crucial role in the victory of the World Giants over India Maharajas in their opening game, bowling a spell of just giving away 17 runs in three overs and picking up the crucial wicket of Stuart Binny in the final over of the match to give his team the victory. He seemed excited about his performance and said: “Any wicket that you get at an age of 46 is always special. I have worked pretty hard leading into this mega tournament. I have done some training and bowling in the nets. I am ready to play again and I am excited about it. The LLC is a wonderful tournament.”
He added: “We all are here to have fun and showcase the great game of cricket to our fans around the world. I would like to thank everyone who has brought this league together. I never thought something like this would be possible. It’s great fun,” he added. “LLC is definitely here to stay. It’s a great platform for sportspersons like us to showcase our game here in Qatar where big crowds have turned up to see the game. I am looking forward to seeing more fans coming to the stadium to watch the games live.”
Speaking about playing this season, Watson, 41, said: “It is great fun to be a part of LLC. This is my first LLC Masters tournament. I feel very lucky to be playing cricket at my age, and I feel very privileged to be playing alongside some of the greatest players to have played cricket in the last 20 years or so. Further, it is a great experience to be reunited with Jacques Kallis, who is my favourite cricketer of all time. I was fortunate enough to have played with him for the Sydney Thunder in 2016, and to be able to play with him again I feel very lucky. He is my hero. To be able to play with Paul Collingwood for the first time, with Hashim Amla and my great friend Brett Lee as starting points, Chris Gayle, and the list goes on and on. Also, for Aaron Finch, being able to bat with him again in the first match was something very special. I can’t thank LLC enough for this incredible opportunity. I never thought something like this would be possible. It’s great fun.”
On being asked if there is any kind of banter that goes on between rivals of yesteryears who are now playing together, Watson laughed and said, “It is all fun banter. We feel very fortunate and privileged to be playing at a tournament like LLC. I was talking to Harbhajan Singh, who is one of my good friends now having played with him at CSK, and we were pinching ourselves to be able to be in and around a team environment with some of the people that we have played with before, for me to be able to play with some new players for the first time, and some whom I have only admired to be able to play against them. It is an amazing opportunity and we are all just loving every minute of it because of the days of being in a team environment like this, playing and trying to see where our skills are at, where our bodies are at, it is a lot of fun.”
Talking about the competitiveness in the tournament and among teams, Watson said: “We are all very competitive in our own ways and do not want to just be here to be beaten. So, to reach the top of your game, it’s just inside you that you are competitive. When you see the opposition being very competitive as well, no one is taking a backward step at all. So, yes, it is a lot of fun, no doubt. We, the World Giants, had an incredibly fun time on and off the field.”
On being asked, despite being in such prime form, why did he consider retiring from cricket? To this, Watson said: “I obviously love playing cricket, but the biggest challenge has always been my body and being fit. As it is now, that is why I did not bowl in this tournament, unfortunately, because of a bit of a niggle. But, batting-wise and skill-wise, I still feel I am batting as well as I have. The preparation that I have had in the lead-up to the LLC Masters has been five weeks of just getting into the nets and finding my groove. So, batting on nice wickets is a lot of fun. It is what I know better than anything else in my life, cricket and batting and it is not as physically demanding compared to bowling. So, it’s great.”
Legends League Cricket goes above and beyond to drive popularity of cricket in Qatar
Legends League Cricket (LLC) in its endeavour to popularize the sport of cricket in the sports capital of Asia – Doha, organized a fun cricket match for local kids at the Doha Corniche. The match was a part of LLC Masters’ initiative of popularizing cricket on the streets of Doha.
Sensing the ever-growing popularity of cricket in Doha, many local kids were invited to try out their hand at the sport and were seen sporting cricket gear, which tweaked the interest of the locals and also got them participating in the match as spectators.
Further, to the amazement of the kids, a surprise came in the form of S Sreesanth who is playing for the India Maharajas in the LLC Masters joined in for a fun game of cricket with the kids. The former Indian pace spearhead not only indulged in both aspects of the game but was also seen being super pumped and competitive during the event.
Speaking about the event Mr Raman Raheja, Co-Founder and CEO of Legends League Cricket said: “Qatar has risen to the occasion with their hospitality and the love that we have received from the people has just left us short of words. This is our own way of ensuring that the culture of cricket that we are trying to build in Qatar penetrates across levels. We are grateful to all the legends who have also come forward and participated in all our initiatives.”
India Maharajas:
Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, S Sreesanth, Ashoke Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Parvinder Awana, Manvinder Bisla (Wicket Keeper), Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Praveen Kumar, Pravin Tambe, Stuart Binny
Asia Lions:
Shahid Afridi (Captain), Asghar Afghan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Dilhara Fernando, Shoaib Akhtar, Upul Tharanga (Wicket Keeper), Paras Khadka, Thisara Perera, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Razzak, Isuru Udana, Mohammad Amir, Nawroz Mangal, Sohail Tanvir, Diman Ghosh (Wicket Keeper)
World Giants:
Aaron Finch (Captain), Brett Lee, Morné van Wyk, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Ricardo Powell, Monty Panesar, Kevin O’Brien, Tino Best, Denesh Ramdin (Wicket Keeper), Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Christopher Mpofu, Lendl Simmons, Paul Collingwoo
