Muscat: It will be a treat for cricket fans across the world and especially for fans in the Sultanate of Oman when Mohammad Kaif's India Maharajas take on Misbah ul Haq's Asia Lions in the Legends League Cricket opener today. Mohammad Kaif and Misbahul-Haq lavished praise and had rave reviews for the Sultanate of Oman's scenic and picturesque Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Amerat, where the matches will be played.
The three-team event featuring retired international cricket legends also includes the World Giants side comprising former icons such as Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Kevin Pietersen etc.
The Indian side will see the likes of Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Kaif, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Stuart Binny among others in the mix.
The legendary Virender Sehwag will join the team later and Kaif will captain the side for the first couple of games in his absence.
The Asia Lions led by Misbah will have former heavyweights such as Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Mutthiah Muralitharan and Tillkeratne Dilshan fighting it out for them.
Misbah felt there will be no dearth of motivation for him nor his team-mates when they take the field despite being retired cricketers.
"Most of the players are not active anymore and don't play regularly. But whenever we do play, we take it seriously. We will give our best, go there and have fun. We will play to our potential and overall I feel it's nice to play with these legends and against them in a tournament like this,'' he added.
Misbah gave a huge thumbs up to the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Al Amerat where the matches will be played.
"I am really impressed by the ground and it's a very beautiful and scenic stadium. With mountains in the background, it's a great place to play cricket. This is my first time in the Sultanate of Oman and I've really liked it as a place and feel very good to be here,'' the former Pakistan captain added.
On a lighter note, when a journalist asked Misbah about Shoaib Akhtar's ability to bowl those lightning quick deliveries that he's famous for, Misbah replied in the affirmative.
"He (Akhtar) can still bowl at 140 plus and I would say if he's fit, he can bowl as quick as he used to back in the day,'' Misbah stated.
KAIF LOOKING FORWARD
Former India legend Mohammad Kaif also had great things to say about the Sultanate of Oman.
"I'm really impressed by the venue. I went to the pitch and spend some time at the ground and it's lovely. Looking forward to playing games here. Hopefully, we will have some high scoring matches that will entertain the crowds and cricket fans,'' he added.
Kaif said he was also excited to play with his former India team-mates Yuvraj, Harbhajan, Pathan brothers etc and feel the same vibe as their playing days.
"Yes, it will be great to be back amongst my team-mates from the Indian dressing room. I had also played the Road Safety World Series where Sachin Tendulkar was there as well. But, that was in India and this is the first time abroad for an event like this, so looking forward to it,'' he added.
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