Afridi’s team victorious on Swiss Alps

LAHORE: Shahid Afridi-led Royals beat Virender Sehwag’s Diamonds by 6 wickets in a match played on Swiss Alps on Thursday. Cricket legends locked horns with each other, only this time, the match is not being played on a regular pitch but on the snowy peaks of the Swiss Alps named Cricket on ice.

The two teams are facing each other in the unique two-day event where two matches are to be played on ice.In the first match, Royals won by six wickets and chased the target in 15.2 overs. Owais Shah led the charge and scored 74 runs. The Diamonds, batting first, gave a target of 165 for the loss of nine wickets to Royals.

Skipper Sehwag was the pick of the batsmen for the Diamonds with a score of 62 from 31 deliveries. Andrew Symonds chipped in with 40 from 30 deliveries. Abdul Razzaq picked up 4/18 while Shoaib Akhtar took 2/32 for the Royals.

The event, dubbed ‘St Moritz Ice Cricket 2018’ and already being hailed as the “best battle of cricket on top of the world”, will take place against the serene and breathtaking backdrop of the Swiss mountains in freezing cold temperatures on February 8 and 9.

Along with Afridi and Sehwag, the event also features glittering names such as Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq, Mahela Jayawardene, Jacques Kallis, Zaheer Khan, Michael Hussey and others. Speedster Shoaib Akhtar couldn’t wait to share his adventures in the snow. Wasim Akram and wife Shaniera are also at the venue to join in the fun. Sri Lanka’s Jayawardene shared the serenity of the mountains in an Instagram post.