- Pakistan won WCL 2024 first semi-final.
- Sohail Khan stared with 4 wickets.
- Younis and Kamran led Pakistan’s batting.
In the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024’s first semi-final, the Pakistan Champions triumphed over the West Indies Champions by a margin of 20 runs at Northampton’s County Ground on Friday.
The Pakistani squad, after setting a challenging target of 199 runs, displayed exceptional bowling skills that led them to secure a spot in the final against either India or Australia.
Sohail Khan emerged as the standout bowler for Pakistan, claiming four wickets and limiting the West Indies to a total of 178 runs.
The West Indies’ innings began sluggishly, managing only seven runs in the opening four overs. However, Chris Gayle’s boundary hits in the fifth over signaled a shift in momentum.
Gayle’s effort was short-lived, though, as he was dismissed by Sohail for 26 runs.
Despite regular wicket losses, Ashley Nurse’s brisk 36-run innings off 24 balls raised hopes for a West Indies comeback, but his run-out by Kamran Akmal dashed those aspirations.
Further down the batting order, Rayad Emrit’s quickfire 29 runs off 9 balls added excitement, but Shoaib Malik eventually claimed his wicket.
Sohail Khan led the bowling attack with four wickets, supported by Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik, who both took two wickets apiece.
Batting first, Pakistan faced early setbacks, losing Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, and Shoaib Malik without significant contributions.
Despite the West Indies bowlers’ initial dominance under overcast conditions, a solid 77-run stand between captain Younis Khan and Kamran Akmal steered Pakistan away from trouble.
Akmal’s innings ended at 46 runs off 31 balls, and subsequent dismissals of Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq added to Pakistan’s woes.
Younis Khan’s dismissal for 65 runs by Fidel Edwards didn’t halt Pakistan’s scoring, as Aamer Yahim and Sohail Tanvir’s lower-order partnership added 61 runs to the tally.
Yamin and Tanvir scored 37 and 33 runs respectively, each off 17 balls.
On the West Indies bowling front, Fidel Edwards took three wickets, Sulieman Benn claimed two, and Jerome Taylor and Dwayne Smith each took one wicket.
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