Asia Lions won the final. (Twitter/LLC)World Giants vs Asia Lions Live Scorecard, LLC 2023 Final: Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan stitched a 100-run opening partnership as Asia Lions chased down a target of 148 with 23 balls to spare. They beat the defending champions, World Giants even after Jacques Kallis scored a fluent 78 to power World Giants to 147/4 in 20 overs. Shane Watson was leading the side and he won the toss and opted to bat first. Abdur Razzaq picked important wickets.
World Giants Playing XI: Morne van Wyk(w), Shane Watson(c), Ross Taylor, Jacques Kallis, Lendl Simmons, Paul Collingwood, Samit Patel, Monty Panesar, Tino Best, Chris Mpofu, Brett Lee
Asia Lions Playing XI: Upul Tharanga(w), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mohammad Hafeez, Asghar Afghan, Thisara Perera, Abdur Razzak, Shahid Afridi(c), Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir, Paras Khadka, Abdul Razzaq
Hafeez hits a four and that's the winnings runs and Asia Lions have beaten the World Giants and have done it convincingly. Upul Tharanga and T Dilshan set the platform with a blazing partnership which went on till 115 runs and that pretty much ensured the win for the Lions.
OUT! Panesar gets Abdul Razzaq for 3. It was short, slow and Razzaq mishits in the air to mid-on and taken by Powell. Misbah is the next man in and he gets off the mark with a four. Score after 15 overs, ALN: 140/3 | Asia Lions need 8 runs in 30 balls
Dilshan ekes out a boundary of Panesar after which is clean bowled by Samit Patel for 58 off 42. ALN: 132/2 after 13.1 overs
BOWLED! Brett Lee has got rid off Tharanga who is out for 57. Mohammad Hafeez, right handed bat, comes to the crease. Score after 10 overs, ALN: 115/1 | Need 33 from 60 balls
Tino Best is back into the attack and is welcomed with a four by Tharanga. But that is not all as the fifth ball goes to the bounday from the bat of Dilshan. Just a matter of time now. Score after 9 overs, ALN: 105/0
Upul Tharanga gets to his fifty in style, goes down the leg side, clips the ball away to backward square leg for a boundary. This has been a sensational knock from the Lankan legend. The southpaw has now surpassed Gautam Gambhir to become the leading run-scorer of the tournament.
Asia Lions: 105-0 (9)
Brett Lee is back for the eighth over. Nothing seems to trouble the Lions now. They are well set in the middle - taking singles, scoring boundaries, sixes and it's putting the Giants under great pressure.
Asia Lions: 93-0 (8)
Monty Panesar joins the attack for the seventh over and the boundaries keep flowing for the Lions. They look confident and are easily collecting runs. The Giants, on the other hand are in major trouble.
Asia Lions: 85-0 (7)
Mpofu is introduced into the attack and is welcomed with two back to back boundaries by Dilshan. First, square of the wicket and the next to long-off. Mpofu bowls a dot and is sent off for a boundary again, this time to deep mid-wicket. There's no stopping the Lions. The Giants are under great pressure now.
Asia Lions: 72-0 (6)
Powell is back into the attack for the fifth over and the bowler appeals for LBW but the umpire turns it down. Kallis reviews it and they lose it. Meanwhile, Tharanga keeps the boundaries coming, scores another to deep extra cover. Woah! Tharanga goes big again, this time launches the ball high over the long on fence for another six.
Asia Lions: 57-0 (5)
Tino Best, right-arm fast, gets the ball for the third over. Oh no! Another misfield for the Giants, this time it's Kallis who couldn't stop the boundary. They can't afford such mistakes in this high-stake final.
Asia Lions: 41-0 (4)
Impact player Ricardo Powell joins the attack in the third over. Upul Tharanga does it again, smashs the ball and chops it away to thirdman fence for a beautiful boundary.
Asia Lions: 31-0 (3)
Brett Lee shares the ball with Patel. Tharanga steals another boundary. It was a misfield from Monty Panesar who first lets the ball go past himself then thinks of chasing and then slowly chases after it.
Asia Lions: 23-0 (2)
Dilshan gets off the mark with two stunning back to back boundaries and is joined by Dilshan from the other end. He launches ithe ball high over the long on fence for a six. Perfect start for the Lions!
Asia Lions: 16-0 (1)
Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan walk in the middle for the Lions. Samit Patel opens the attack for the Giants.
Udana has the ball for the last over of the innings and Kallis continues steadying the ship for the Giants, scores two back to back boundaries and ends the innings with two runs. He has been brilliant with the bat for the Giants.
The have managed to put together a score of 147 runs on the board for the Lions to chase.
World Giants: 147-4 (120)
Tanvir is given the ball for his last over of the game and he starts with a dot. Wow! That's a BIGGG hit from Kallis! Dispatches the next delivery over the midwicket fence for a huge six. Just what the Giants needed. Oh no! Paul Collingwood is limping. That doesn't look good for the Giants. He walks back retired hurt. Samit Patel replaces him.
World Giants: 134-4 (19)
Paul Collingwood walks in to bat alongside Kallis in the middle. Good running betwwen the wickets from the duo, they have collected 7 runs off the over. They will look to go big in the last two overs and post a defendable total on the board.
World Giants: 121-4 (18)
Perera has the ball for the seventeenth over and is sent off for a huge six to deep mid-wicket and with that Jacques Kallis brings up his half-century in style. Oh no! Ross Taylor is out bowled on Perera's third ball. That's a big wicket for the Giants.
World Giants: 114-4 (17)
Isuru Udana is back into the attack and bowls a full toss to Kallis, he misses it and the ball goes past Tharanga for 4 runs. A single on the next ball and now Udana bowls a NO BALL. Taylor is on the strike for the free-hit and he fails to utilise it for a big hit but Kallis from the other end makes up for it - swings the bat and gets the outside edge past the keeper to the fence for a boundary to end the over with.
World Giants: 104-3 (16)
The Giants are now picking up momentum. Kallis reverse sweeps an Afridi delivery in the air over backward point to the fence for a boundary. Four more runs for the legend, this time sends the ball away to deep backward point.
World Giants: 90-3 (15)
New bowler Isuru Udana is introduced in the fourteenth over and Ross Taylor sends the last ball of the over for a boundary to the midwicket fence. They need to keep the boundaries coming.
World Giants: 79-3 (14)
Thisara Perera comes back into the attack for the thirteenth over and bowls another good over for the Lions. Giants, however have managed to build a partnership despite losing early wickets.
World Giants: 72-3 (13)
Jacques Kallis starts the over with a massive six, tosses up the ball and slog sweeps it high over the midwicket fence. This should bring some respite to the batters.
World Giants: 65-3 (12)
Thisara Perera is handed over the ball for the eleventh over and he bowls a very very good over. The Lions take five singles off the over and finally reach the 50-run mark.
World Giants: 54-3 (11)
Afridi continues with the attack and with his brilliant bowling prowess. The Giants' batters look under great pressure now. They haven't been able to steal a single boundary in the last four overs.
World Giants: 49-3 (10)
Razzaq has been brought into the attack for the ninth over and runs have dried up for the Giants. The Lions have kept their bowling tight and will look to continue the momentum.
World Giants: 44-3 (9)
Skipper Afridi takes the ball for the eight over. Yet another boundary-less over for the Lions.
World Giants: 41-3 (8)
Mohammad Hafeez joins the attack for the sixth over. The Giants keep rotating the strike and collect 5 runs off the over. Hafeez ends the over with a dot ball.
World Giants: 36-3 (7)
The Asian bowlers are in complete control of the game. The Giants now lose their third wicket inside the powerplay. Sohail Tannvir picks up the ball and throws it for a direct hit to get rid of set batter Simmons. Ross Taylor walks in at 5.
World Giants: 31-3 (6)
Lendl Simmons opens the bat and dispatches the ball straight down the ground for a maximum. This should give some confident to the batters in the middle as they look to build a partnership there.
World Giants: 19-2 (5)
The bowlers have provided an ideal start to the Lions and now Tanvir is back into the attack. This was another brilliant over with the bowl as he only conceded 2 runs off of it. Jacques Kallis has joined Simmons in the middle.
World Giants: 10-2 (4)
Woah! Razzaq at it again, dismisses Giants' skipper Shane Watson for a duck. The umpire turned down the appeal first but Afridi was confident and sent the decision upstairs. The replay shows the ball hit the pad first and then onto the bat. The ball crashed onto the stumps. IT'S OUT and Giants lose their second wicket.
World Giants: 9-2 (3)
Razzaq is back into the attack and gets the first wicket, bowls out Morne van Wyk. The batter walks out without opening his account. This is a massive breakthrough for the Giants.
World Giants: 9-0 (2.4)
Sohail Tanvir gets the new ball for the second over of the game. Simmoms gets lucky on the third ball, steps forward to defend and outside edges in the gap and slip to third man for a boundary.
World Giants: 8-0 (2)
Razzaq bowls a decent over. The Giants could only collect 3 runs off of it.
World Giants: 3-0 (1)
Lendl Simmons and Morne van Wyk open for the Giants. Abdur Razzaq gets the new ball for the Lions.
Nice sheen on the wicket, good for batting. Belter of a wicket. - Nahid
World Giants (Playing XI): Morne van Wyk(w), Shane Watson(c), Ross Taylor, Jacques Kallis, Lendl Simmons, Paul Collingwood, Samit Patel, Monty Panesar, Tino Best, Chris Mpofu, Brett Lee
Asia Lions (Playing XI): Upul Tharanga(w), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mohammad Hafeez, Asghar Afghan, Thisara Perera, Abdur Razzak, Shahid Afridi(c), Misbah-ul-Haq, Sohail Tanvir, Paras Khadka, Abdul Razzaq
Shane Watson has won the toss and the World Giants have opted to bat first against the Asia Lions.
With a crushing 85-run defeat over India Maharajas in the Eliminator, Asia Lions reached the finals. Upul Tharanga’s fifty and explosive innings from Thisara Perera, Mohd Hafeez, and Asghar Afghan helped the Lions reach 191/5. Then, the powerful bowling-lineup of the Lions decimated Gambhir-led IM in the second innings.
Hello and welcome to our live blog on the final match of the Legends League Cricket 2023 between the Asia Lions and the World Giants being played at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Doha. Stay tuned for live updates.