Indian Legends Dominate Pakistan, Seize the First Trophy of the World Championship of Legends
Under the leadership of Yuvraj Singh, the Indian Champions defeated Pakistan Champions in the final match held on July 13th at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Pakistan, led by captain Yunus Khan, chose to bat first after winning the toss. Pakistan’s team scored 156/6 in 20 overs.
India Achieves Target in 19.1 Overs
In response, India comfortably achieved the target in 19.1 overs, securing a convincing victory with 5 wickets in hand. Ambati Rayudu played a stellar innings of 50 runs off just 30 balls, playing a crucial role in India’s important win.
India made a superb start, with opener Robin Uthappa and Rayudu aggressively facing Pakistan’s bowlers in the powerplay. Rayudu set the tone early by hitting Amir Yamin for boundaries in the very first over of the Indian innings.
Rayudu Takes Charge
Rayudu handled the innings well, while Uthappa continued to attack from the other end, hitting Yamin for two boundaries in the next over. However, he struggled to advance his innings and was out in the same over. Suresh Raina came in at number three and opened his account with a four.
However, on the next ball, he was caught by Sohail Siddiqui straight into Tanvir’s hands, leaving India at 38/2. After initial setbacks, Rayudu anchored the innings. He partnered effectively with Gurkeerat Singh Mann, who contributed significantly with 60 runs. Rayudu completed his half-century in just 29 balls, guiding India to a strong position of 98/2 after 11 overs.
Pakistan Drops Several Catches
When the match was in India’s grip, Pakistan dropped numerous catches, allowing Ambati Rayudu (50 off 30 balls) and Gurkeerat Singh Mann (34 off 33 balls) to return to the crease after being dismissed.
Towards the end of their innings, Pakistan missed several catches, which enabled contributions from Yusuf Pathan and Yuvraj Singh, who both played crucial roles in India’s significant partnership of 42 runs.
Misbah-ul-Haq Retired Hurt
Before this, Pakistan’s start was poor. Anwar Ali dismissed opener Sharjeel Khan (12 runs off 10 balls) in the second over, with only 14 runs on the board. Sohaib Maqsood also failed to capitalize on a good start and managed only 21 runs (off 12 balls), becoming Vinay Kumar’s prey. Kamran Akmal was progressing towards a big score with 24 runs to his name, but in the ninth over, Pawan Negi struck, reducing Pakistan to 68/3 after 8.2 overs.
Wickets continued to fall, and in the next over, Shoaib Malik anchored the innings for his team. He kept the scoreboard ticking. However, the pressure mounted when Misbah-ul-Haq retired hurt due to a heart condition. Misbah guided Pakistan through struggles, losing 6 wickets in 20 overs, managing just 156 runs. Sohaib Tanvir’s quick 19 runs in 9 balls provided a slight boost to the score.
