The second season of the World Championship of Legends, hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board, kicked off with a bang on Friday. In the very first match of the tournament, Pakistan defeated England by a thrilling 5 runs.
WCL 2025: The second season of the World Championship of Legends has begun with a spectacular start. In the opening match of the tournament played on Friday, Pakistan Champions defeated England Champions by 5 runs on their home ground. In this thrilling contest, veteran players from both teams delivered outstanding performances, but ultimately, the explosive innings of Pakistani captain Mohammad Hafeez stole the show. His brilliant fifty overshadowed England's two half-centuries, and Pakistan started the tournament with a victory.
Pakistan's Innings Faltered, but Hafeez Restored Respect
After losing the toss and being put in to bat first, Pakistan Champions didn't have a great start. The team lost wickets at regular intervals in the early overs. Opener Sharjeel Khan returned to the pavilion after scoring just 12 runs off 15 balls, getting caught out on the last ball of the fourth over. Soon after, Kamran Akmal (8) and Umar Amin (6) also departed cheaply. Experienced Shoaib Malik in the middle order couldn't do much either and was dismissed for 1 run.
Captain Mohammad Hafeez took responsibility for accelerating the team's scoreboard. He played a brilliant innings of 54 runs off 34 balls, including 8 excellent boundaries. Hafeez's innings took the team to a respectable score. Meanwhile, Sohail Tanvir scored 17 runs off 11 balls and Sohail Khan added 8 runs off 5 balls, contributing crucial runs in the final overs.
Eventually, Pakistan Champions scored 160 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in their 20 overs. For England, Liam Plunkett and Chris Tremlett took 2 wickets each, while Ryan Sidebottom also claimed a success.
England's Reply: Mustard and Bell's Fifties in Vain
Chasing a target of 161 runs, England Champions had a rather lackluster start. The team's experienced opener Sir Alastair Cook was dismissed for just 7 runs off 15 balls. His partner James Vince also struggled and departed after scoring 7 runs off 9 balls.
After this, Phil Mustard and Ian Bell took charge of England's innings. Both batsmen scored excellent half-centuries. Phil Mustard scored 58 runs off 51 balls with the help of 8 fours, while Ian Bell smashed 51 runs off 35 balls. However, despite the efforts of both batsmen, England ultimately fell short of the target by 5 runs.
Captain Eoin Morgan tried to score quickly in the last overs, but he could only add 16 runs off 12 balls and remained unbeaten till the end. England scored 155 runs for the loss of 3 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.
Pakistan's Dominance in Bowling
In Pakistan's bowling, Sohail Tanvir, Aamir Yamin, and Rumman Raees took 1 wicket each. Pakistan's bowlers bowled tightly in the middle overs, not allowing England to play freely, which ultimately proved to be a major reason for their victory. In this match, captain Mohammad Hafeez proved to be the hero for Pakistan.
When the team's top and middle order faltered one after the other, Hafeez played a match-winning innings of 54 runs, showing a great blend of restraint and aggression. He single-handedly took the score past 160 and kept England away from victory.
