You may have retired from professional cricket, but you can still keep the game alive in you—such is the concept of Legends League Cricket, which offers the right balance between a friendly contest and a touch of competitive spirit as veterans of the game get a fresh opportunity to relive their playing days. However, sometimes, in the flow of a contest, players do tend to get carried away, as noticed in the match between Konark Suryas Odisha and Toyam Hyderabad at the Molana Azad Stadium in Jammu on Sunday.
During the 16th over of the first innings of the match, former England cricketer Monty Panesar sledged India's two-time World Cup winner Yusuf Pathan, who looked to struggle during his knock for Konark. After a few dot balls in the over from Panesar, the bowler taunted the Indian saying, "Are you playing a Test match?" as the commentators were left in splits.
Yusuf smiled initially, but after Panesar reiterated his words, he replied saying: "How many Test wickets do you have?" The fun banter between the two cricketers drew more laughter from the commentators.
What happened in the LLC match?
Put to bat first, Konark Suryas Odisha were restricted to 100 for nine in 20 overs, with Munaweera top-scoring for the side with a run-a-ball 51, while only one other batter had a double-digit score. Yusuf managed just seven runs in 18 balls, which comprised of zero boundaries. Bipul Sharma and R Jangid were the pick of the bowlers for Hyderabad, snaring two wickets each.
{{/usCountry}}Put to bat first, Konark Suryas Odisha were restricted to 100 for nine in 20 overs, with Munaweera top-scoring for the side with a run-a-ball 51, while only one other batter had a double-digit score. Yusuf managed just seven runs in 18 balls, which comprised of zero boundaries. Bipul Sharma and R Jangid were the pick of the bowlers for Hyderabad, snaring two wickets each.
{{/usCountry}}In response, Hyderabad chased down the total with 10 balls to spare as captain Gurkeerat Singh Mann scored an unbeaten 50-ball 52. He was also awarded the Player of the Match award for his knock.
The win by four wickets for Hyderabad was only their second victory in the tournament in six matches as they jumped to the third spot in the table. Konark, with similar points from as many matches, stand second by virtue of one less defeat.