In the opening Twenty20 cricket match of St. Moritz Ice Cricket 2018, Pakistani legend Shahid Afridi’s Royals side defeated Badrutt’s Palace Diamonds team led by former Indian opening batsman Virender Sehwag by 6 wickets. Former England player Owais Shah was adjudged the Man of the Match for his impressive show with the bat. The 39-year-old hit 74 runs off 34 deliveries to guide Afridi’s Royals to a comfortable victory with 28 balls remaining. The winning side now leads 1-0 in two matches St. Moritz Ice Cricket tournament scheduled to take place on February 8 and 9 in Switzerland. St. Moritz Ice Cricket Tournament 2018: Live Streaming, Schedule, Venue, Time, Teams, Players Details – All You Need To Know.

The concept of playing ‘cricket on Ice’ and the St. Moritz frozen lake has been witnessing exciting games for over 25 years. But this time around, it was different. For the first time in cricketing history, modern-day greats have come together to participate in a competition with Swiss Alps in the background. The picturesque location has previously seen various sports from horse racing to polo but the thought of hosting Twenty20 cricket tournament with the biggest stars retired from the international cricket took the excitement to another level. St. Moritz Ice T20 Cricket Tournament 2018: Virender Sehwag, Jacques Kallis, Shoaib Akhtar in Teams of Key Legend Players to Play in Switzerland!

Playing the first match, it was India batting great Virender Sehwag who won the toss and elected to bat. Batting first, Sehwag played a captain’s innings smashing 62 runs off 31 deliveries. Yes, at a strike rate of 200, the 40-year-old showed why he was bowlers’ nightmare. He smashed four boundaries and five long sixes on the unconventional ground covered with thick ice. Former Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds also was among runs hitting 40 off 30 balls to take Diamonds team’s total to 164/9 in their quota of 20 overs.

Watch Full Video Highlights Between Virender Sehwag's XI and Shahid Afridi's XI in First Twenty20 Match of St Moritz Ice Cricket 2018

Chasing a target of 165, Royals opening batsmen, former South African captain Graeme Smith and ex-England wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior walked in to bat on the ice turf. For Diamonds, Lasith Malinga of Sri Lanka struck to take Prior’s wicket at Royals’ score of 11. However, Smith found good company in the former South African teammate, all-rounder Jacques Kallis to take team’s total near the fifty-run mark. But it was Owais Shah who proved to be a match winner for Royals and give Shahid Afridi a lead in the two-match tournament. The player hit 74 runs that included 5 fours and 7 sixes. The second and final match will be played on February 9.

Brief Scores: Virender Sehwag’s Badrutt’s Palace Diamonds won the toss. Diamonds: 164/9 in 20.0 Overs (Sehwag – 62, Symonds – 40; Abdul Razzaq - 4-0-18-4, Shoaib Akhtar - 4-0-32-2) Royals: 166/4 in 15.2 Overs (Shah – 74, Kallis – 36, Smith - 23; Ramesh Powar - 2.2-0-24-2)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 09, 2018 11:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).