Doha: With the Skyexch.net Legends League Cricket (LLC) Masters already underway the top players of all the teams shared their views about how they feel about being in Qatar and also the new format of the tournament.
The former captain of the Asia Lions, Misbah-ul-Haq, sounded upbeat about the tournament and said, “The earlier edition of the tournament was held in Oman, and it was fun. Sharing the dressing room with some of the old-timers did bring back memories. It’s all about old friends, old rivalries, and also enjoying our time on the field. This time we have players who have just retired and have been playing competitive cricket until very recently. The competition will be high, but at the same time, it will also be a task for senior players like me to keep up with them. Really looking forward to the tournament.”
Misbah-ul-Haq also added, “Once you leave cricket and have spent so much time playing competitive cricket, after some time, you start missing it. It is an opportunity for all of us to just go out there and express ourselves and enjoy our time on the ground. It is always exciting to share the dressing room and the field with some of our old friends. We are used to just going out there and performing, and entertaining people, and that’s what we are all excited about.”
The youngest of the lot and the captain of the defending champion World Giants, Aaron Finch, was also in attendance and said, “To play with and against the all-time greats of the game is something really special.”
On the other hand, the India Maharajas have a team very similar to that of the 2008 India team in Australia. Speaking about the same India Maharajas captain, Gautam Gambhir said, “It is good that people like Suresh, Yusuf, and Robin have all been playing competitive cricket, it’s not that they haven’t played, which is good; we need to have a mixture of both, the guys who have been playing. It is good fun when you gel together, combine on the cricket field, and start playing together. Obviously, the bodies won’t be the same, but once you walk onto the field, you are still going out there to win a game.”
Speaking about how different it will be for the players to now go back to competitive cricket, Finch said, “It is exciting for different people for different reasons. The reality is, you don’t get to the top of your game or the top of international sport if you don’t have a competitive drive. I believe for the guys who have been out of the game a little bit longer, the feeling of walking onto the field and the adrenaline rush of playing competitive cricket will be really high. For the guys that have recently retired, you would want to be as competitive as you can be. I think the mixture of both is really special, and the feeling of sharing the dressing room with some of the legends is no doubt really special.”
All the matches of the Skyexch.net LLC Masters will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and can be streamed on Disney+ Hotstar, and FanCode.
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