Match 2, Birmingham, July 03, 2024, 09:00 PM
Australia Champions
189/7(20.0ov)
Pakistan Champions
191/5(19.4ov)
Pakistan Champions beat Australia Champions by 5 wickets
Best Batsmen
R
B
4S
6S
SR
Best Bowler
O
R
W
Econ
Man of the Match
Younis Khan
Commentry
Right then, that was it from an exciting first day of the World Championship of Legends. India Champions won the first game of the day against England Champions. In this game between Pakistan Champions and Australia Champions, it was the team from Pakistan who emerged victorious after a splendid run chase. The next game will be played between South Africa Champions and England Champions at the same venue which is the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham. The first ball will be bowled at 5 pm IST (11.30 am GMT) but our coverage will start much earlier. Tune in to catch a glimpse of your favorite retired players picking up the bat and the ball once again. Until then, goodbye and cheers!
The victorious skipper of Pakistan Champions, Younis Khan is also the Player of the Match for his scintillating knock of 63 runs in 41 balls. He says that the score was a decent one and mentions that it was a matter of one partnership. Adds that the spirit is high and wanted to win it for their country. Mentions that he was a bit nervous at the start but had to manage the partnership to get back in the game. Credits Misbah-ul-Haq for always being there for the team and ends by saying that it felt good to win.
The skipper of Australia Champions, Brett Lee is up for a quick chat and says it feels incredible to be here and play again. Says that they tried hard and did well to get to the 190 mark against a quality bowling unit that felt brilliant. Says that he didn't expect himself to be playing cricket again at this venue at the age of 47. Mentions that they are really happy to be back playing again and it feels good to share the dressing room once again with multiple World Cup winners and some youngsters as well.
The Presentation ceremony…
Earlier in the innings, we saw the dominance from the Australian top order with Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, and Ben Dunk providing an explosive foundation. However, the quick loss of wickets made their scoring rate come down. They managed to put 189 on the board courtesy of the late boost by Nathan Coulter-Nile and Callum Ferguson. From the Pakistan contingent, it was Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik who disrupted the Australian batting unit and got timely wickets for their team.
The Aussies started off brilliantly. After being attacked, Brett Lee found his rhythm and got the first two wickets for his team. Dirk Nannes was taken to the cleaners in his two overs which put them under a bit of pressure but Nathan Coulter-Nile took two important wickets to put them on the strong foot again. They couldn’t pick wickets in the middle stages but they bowled tight and restricted the batters from scoring at a good rate. However, Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq targeted the death bowlers, especially Dan Christian. Xavier Doherty got the prized wicket of Younis Khan but he had dealt a lot of damage and Shahid Afridi finished things off for their opponents with not much left for Brett Lee to defend in the final over.
Pakistan Champions had a shaky start as Kamran Akmal and Sharjeel Khan fell prey to the fiery bowling of Brett Lee. Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik batted with intent for a while but their partnership was halted by Coulter-Nile. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq put up a great partnership and released some pressure off the chase. However, they had a lot of ground to make up for and the lack of boundaries didn’t help their cause. They targeted Dan Christian's 17th over and gave some relief to their team. That carnage helped Pakistan to inch closer to the target and some explosive batting in the final two overs helped Pakistan Champions seal the deal in great fashion.
Shahid Afridi finishes things his way and Pakistan Champions have beaten Australia Champions. They have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and the partnership between Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq turned out to be the game changer.
In over# 20
4
1
2
1
Brett Lee 26/2(3.4)
19.4
4
FOUR! VINTAGE AFRIDI! Shahid Afridi finishes off in style. Pitched up around leg, Shahid Afridi smashes this down the ground for a boundary towards long on for four. Pakistan Champions wins this by 5 wickets.
19.3
1
Sensibly tucked away for one. Low full toss on the pads, Misbah-ul-Haq tucks this towards deep square for one.
19.2
2
On a length around off, Misbah-ul-Haq drags this towards deep square and scampers back for two. The throw was rightly at the non-striking end but Brett Lee failed to take the bails off.
19.1
1
Yorker to start the final over. Shahid Afridi gets it away towards the leg side for one.
The skipper, Brett Lee takes the onus on himself to defend the target.
In over# 19
1
1
6
1
4
1
Nathan Coulter-Nile 28/2(3)
18.6
1
Yorker on middle and leg, Shahid Afridi flicks this towards the leg side for one.
18.5
1
Full toss below the waist on off, Misbah-ul-Haq gets hurried on and pushes this towards long on for a single. The umpires go upstairs to check if this was fair and the T.V. replay suggests this was a fair delivery as this was below the waist height.
18.4
6
SIX! HIGH AND HANDSOME! Pitched up in the slot around off, Misbah-ul-Haq stands still and lofts this over the fielder at long on for a biggie. This was hit right from the meat of his bat and traveled the distance. This game just got more interesting.
18.3
1
On a length around off, Shahid Afridi tucks this through mid-wicket for one.
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