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Match Details
Date: January 21, 2022
Time: 8 PM (IST)
Venue: Al Amerat Cricket Ground Oman Cricket (Ministry Turf 1), Muscat
Live Ball-by-Ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview:
The World Giants will be up against the Asia Lions in match number 2 of the Legends League Cricket T20 competition. While the Asia Lions succumbed to a 6 wicket defeat against an India Maharajas team who were without some of their big names including Virender Sehwag, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh, they have yet another stern test ahead of them when they take on World Giants in the second successive matchday for them.
Pitch Report:
Defying the statistics saying that the teams batting first have had a great record over the chasing ones in recent games, the India Maharajas skipper Mohammad Kaif opted to bowl first and eventually did manage to win the match. Consequently, teams would want to back their strength as the wicket looked good to bat on throughout 40 overs during match 1 of the competition. Expect teams batting first to aim for a total above 180 which could be a match-winning score.
Decisive Factor:
Given this is quite a compact tournament, the Asia Lions will be playing another match on Day 2 after featuring in the tournament opener. In this case, it could be tough for several retired cricketers to match the level of fitness to play two matches in a row and so some of the players who played the first game could be rested. Shoaib Akhtar himself hinted that he could miss the second T20 as he is battling a knee injury but would want to come and put up a good show for the audience. In this case, World Giants could have an advantage, having not played the tournament opener and with some fresh legs in their side.
Analysis:
Batting
All eyes will be on Upul Tharanga who was in prime form in match 1 and played a crucial knock of 66 runs against India Maharajas.
He had shown some consistency with the bat whenever he has got an opportunity after announcing retirement from active cricket and could be a batter to watch out for along with his compatriot Tillakaratne Dilshan who might have flopped in the first match but has enough experience to come back stronger.
Skipper Misbah ul Haq also played a solid knock, much like the one the world has come to know of him and if he continues his form, there is no reason why the Asia Lions will be able to post or chase any total on the board.
The World Giants too seem to have a batting unit too with Kevin Pietersen leading the pack. KP has been one of the fitter cricketers post-retirement and would be aiming for a big score. He will have Herschelle Gibbs and Jonty Rhodes for company among batters as well as the batting talent of Kevin o Brien, Owais Shah and Corey Anderson to trust.
Bowling
World Giants bowling arguably looks the most lethal with Brett Lee expected to bowl in tandem with Morne Morkel. Imran Tahir and Monty Panesar are superb spinning options along with bowlers like Darren Sammy who can be pretty handy in this format. Having said that the bowling of Asia Lions is not too bad either with the likes of Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul and Muttiah Muralitharan in there. Even if a bowler decides to rest, they have a capable option in Chaminda Vaas who can be brought in for this game.
Squads:
World Giants:
Asia Lions: Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kamran Akmal (wk), Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Azhar Mahmood, Mohammad Hafeez, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shoaib Akhtar, Muttiah Muralitharan, Umar Gul, Sanath Jayasuriya, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Chaminda Vaas, Asghar Afghan, Romesh Kaluwitharana
World Giants: Daren Sammy, Daniel Vettori, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Kevin Pietersen, Imran Tahir, Owais Shah, Herschelle Gibbs, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Corey Anderson, Monty Panesar, Brad Haddin, Kevin O’Brien, Brendan Taylor
Match Prediction
Conclusion: The World Giants seem to have an upper hand on paper. It should be a battle between how the World Giants batters performs since not many have been playing any kind of cricket off late which could mean they would have to spend some time before they find their rhythm back. The Asia Lions though clearly looked on the back-foot when Yusuf Pathan took the attack to them in Game 1 and a similar situation could arise if KP along with some other batters plays a few attacking shots in the middle. There are strong chances of a win for World Giants in this game.
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