Pakistan Champions on Friday inflicted a 20-run defeat on West Indies Champions in the first semi-final at the County Ground in Northampton on Friday to secure a place in the final battle of the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024.
After setting the 199-run target, the Pakistani bowlers showcased a brilliant display and propelled their team to the tournament’s final where they will face one of India or Australia.
Sohail Khan was Pakistan’s best performer with the ball as he bagged four wickets and restricted the West Indies to 178 runs.
West Indies had a slow start as they had just scored seven runs in the first four overs but they soon found the rhythm as Chris Gayle started hitting boundaries in the fifth over.
However, Gayle’s innings did not last long as he was removed by Sohail for 26 runs.
West Indies kept on losing wickets at intervals but Ashley Nurse played a rapid knock of 36 runs on 24 balls, he looked like the man to guide the Windies to chase but he was run out by Kamran Akmal.
Down the order, Rayad Emrit played a 9-ball 29-run innings but he fell prey to Shoaib Malik.
Sohail bagged four while Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik got two wickets each.
After being asked to bat first, Pakistan didn’t have a great start as they lost three of their batters — Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik — without scoring any valuable runs.
The West Indies team looked on top as the ball was swinging under the clouds but a 77-run partnership between skipper Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal put Pakistan out of danger.
Both the batters looked set on the crease but Akmal ended up losing his wicket after scoring 46 runs on 31 balls with eight fours. Following the wicketkeeper batter’s dismissal, Pakistan lost two more wickets with Shahid Afridi (1) and Misbah-ul-Haq (0) walking back to the pavilion.
Younis was removed by Fidel Edwards after 65 runs, but Pakistan continued to post runs on the scoreboard as Aamer Yahim and Sohail Tanvir formed a 61-run partnership down the order.
Yamin scored 37 on 17 balls while Tanvir contributed 33 on 17 deliveries.
For West Indies, Edwards bagged three, Sulieman Benn got two while Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Smith picked one wicket each.
