A devastating display with the ball and a composed and authoritative chase made Pakistan Champions achieve a ten-wicket win against Australia Champions in the World Championship of Legends in Leicester. The man of the evening was Saeed Ajmal, as his fantastic figures of 6 for 16 collapsed Australia’s middle and lower order. John Hastings’ horror show only increased the woes for Australia in the game as his over marked the end of Australia’s innings, handing Pakistan Champions a 10-wicket win.
Shoaib Malik’s choice of fielding first bore fruit, though not in the immediate sense. Australia struggled to get back on track following initial setbacks, with Sohail Tanvir and Sohail Khan getting rid of the openers. Ben Dunk’s 26, full of aggression and a serene knock by Callum Ferguson took Australia to 49/2 at the sixth over. But the innings collapsed quickly thereafter.
Ajmal was in the spotlight, turning the ball both ways and outwitting each and every batter who managed to remain at the crease. Imad Wasim contributed with a neat spell of 2 for 11, and no Australian batter except Dunk and Ferguson reached double figures.
In response, Pakistan chased down with the humble 75-run target quite easily. The openers, Sharjeel Khan and Sohaib Maqsood, faced the chase with purpose and aplomb, rotating the strike calmly and hitting anything loose for four. The Australians never looked threatening, and by the eighth over, Pakistan required a mere 20 more runs to claim victory.
John Hastings delivered a chaotic over full of wides, no-balls, and wild lines bordering on the absurd. It went on for an agonizing 18 deliveries, effectively finishing off the match before it could be formally over. Hastings led Australia’s collapse.
Captain Brett Lee, clearly dejected, took off his cap following the match in a show of disappointment. Sharjeel remained unbeaten on 32, and Maqsood stayed not out on 28, leading Pakistan to victory with over seven overs to spare. Ajmal, as expected, was awarded the Player of the Match for his match-winning spell.
The victory not only cemented Pakistan Champions’ supremacy in the group stage, topping the WCL table, but also arranged a high-intensity semi-final against India Champions. However, the match is under a cloud. India had already withdrawn from a scheduled match following public outrage and increased political tensions after the Pahalgam terror attack, hence the semi-final remains uncertain.
