Asif Ali was assisted by Jamaica Tallawahs teammate and Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane during the presentation ceremony. (Source: Twitter/SteinBergRD)
Asif Ali’s unbeaten knock of 47 from 27 deliveries helped Jamaica Tallawahs open their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 campaign on a winning note. The Pakistan cricketer was selected ‘Man of the match’ for his impressive knock.
Ali, who admits that he’s still trying to catch up with the English language, was assisted by Tallawahs teammate and Nepal cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane during the presentation ceremony.
@Sandeep25 doing translating for @AasifAli2018 what a role model @Sandeep25 is he’s a rockstar #CPLT20 congrats @JAMTallawahs #JTvsSLZ pic.twitter.com/O7gfkMQ9kv
— Tyrelle Audain (@tjaudain360) August 19, 2020
Lamichhane’s gesture was welcomed by fans on social media.
Man of the Match!
Pakistan’s Cricket Star Asif Ali getting some help from Sandeep Lamichhane,When different countries players come together and helping eachother feeling just wonderful
Keep it up @Sandeep25#CPL20 pic.twitter.com/lf9BSyQpWA
— Ramy’s (@SteinBergRD) August 19, 2020
Chasing a decent 159 against St. Lucia Zouks, Tallawahs started on a poor note losing two wickets inside the powerplay overs.
However, a steady 63-run partnership between Glenn Phillips and skipper Rovman Powell helped Tallawahs recover. But Zouks once again tried to get a grip in the contest and picked two wickets in quick succession. In the end, Ali’s innings stood as the difference between both the sides as Tallawahs completed the chase with seven balls to spare.