The ongoing inaugural edition of the US Masters T10 League has witnessed the participation of six teams, including retired players from India and Pakistan. Among the notable figures are Gautam Gambhir and Shahid Afridi, leading the New York Warriors and New Jersey Legends respectively. The two cricketers have a history of exchanging words on and off the field, adding anticipation to their recent clash on Sunday (August 20).
Despite rain interrupting the game, a five-over match was salvaged, and the encounter delivered the expected excitement. Opting to bat first, the Legends faced initial setbacks with the quick dismissals of Richard Levi and Tillakaratne Dilshan. However, Shahid Afridi, the Legends’ skipper, ignited the innings with a fiery performance, scoring an unbeaten 37 runs off just 12 balls. His explosive innings included six boundaries and two sixes.
Afridi took on Christopher Barnwell and Abhimanyu Mithun, accumulating 27 and 15 runs respectively from their solitary overs. As a result, the New Jersey Legends posted a competitive total of 84 runs in their five overs.
Unfortunately for Afridi, his efforts were in vain as the New York Warriors chased down the target with two balls remaining. Strong contributions from Jesse Ryder (38), Yusuf Pathan (16), and Christopher Barnwell (28*) propelled their team to victory in a mere 4.4 overs, smashing a total of 10 sixes. Gautam Gambhir, however, did not get the chance to bat higher in the order due to the shortened game format.
The match also witnessed an impressive performance from the New York Warriors’ side, with Jerome Taylor conceding 30 runs in a single over. Despite Afridi’s spirited knock, Gambhir’s New York Warriors emerged victorious in this thrilling encounter.
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