World Championship of Legends 2024:  Pakistan defeat West Indies

Lahore: In an exhilarating first semi-final of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024, the Pakistan Champions triumphed over the West Indies Champions by 20 runs at the County Ground in Northampton on Friday.

Pakistan set a target of 199 runs and displayed exceptional bowling prowess to limit the West Indies to 178 runs, securing their spot in the tournament’s final where they will face either India or Australia.

Sohail Khan was the star bowler for Pakistan, taking four crucial wickets. The West Indies started slowly, managing only seven runs in the first four overs. Chris Gayle briefly reignited hope by hitting boundaries in the fifth over, but his innings ended at 26 runs thanks to Sohail.

Despite losing wickets intermittently, Ashley Nurse kept West Indies’ hopes alive with a quick 36 off 24 balls, but his run-out by Kamran Akmal shifted the momentum. Rayad Emrit added a rapid 29 runs off 9 balls lower down the order but was dismissed by Shoaib Malik. Alongside Sohail’s four-wicket haul, Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik each took two wickets.

Batting first, Pakistan faced early troubles, losing Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, and Shoaib Malik cheaply as the ball swung under overcast skies. However, a crucial 77-run partnership between skipper Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal stabilized the innings. Akmal, after scoring a quick 46 off 31 balls with eight fours, was dismissed, followed by Shahid Afridi (1) and Misbah-ul-Haq (0) in quick succession.

Fidel Edwards ended Younis Khan’s solid 65-run knock, but lower-order contributions from Aamer Yamin and Sohail Tanvir, who added 37 and 33 runs respectively, boosted Pakistan’s total. Edwards finished with three wickets, while Sulieman Benn took two, and Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Smith claimed one each for the West Indies.

This victory propels Pakistan into the WCL 2024 final, setting the stage for an exciting showdown against either India or Australia.