India beat Pakistan to lift World Championship of Legends

BIRMINGHAM: India Champions beat Pakistan Champions by five wickets to lift the World Championship of Legends at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Set to chase 157, India Champions knocked the winning runs with five balls to spare when Irfan Pathan hit Sohail Tanvir for a four. Ambati Rayudu smashed 50 off 30, hitting two sixes and five fours.

Gurkeerat Singh Mann played an anchoring role with a 33-ball 34 while Yusuf Pathan provided final touches with a quickfire 30. Pathan conceded only 16 balls and conceded one four and three sixes. India Champions captain Yuvraj Singh remained unbeaten with a 22-ball 15.

Aamer Yamin bagged two wickets for Pakistan Champions while Saeed Ajmal, Wahab Riaz and Shoaib Malik chipped in with a wicket apiece.

Earlier, Younis Khan’s decision to bat first after winning the coin toss did not bear fruits for the Pakistan Champions as they put a par total on the board.

Pakistan Champions had a shaky start to their innings as their in-form hard-hitting opener Sharjeel Khan (12) fell victim to Anureet Singh in the second over with just 14 runs on the board.

Sohaib Maqsood then joined Kamran Akmal in the middle for a briefly anchoring partnership as the duo could raise 29 runs for the second wicket.

Maqsood, who tried to counterattack the India Champions bowlers fell prey to Vinay Kumar in the fifth over after scoring a quick 21 off 12.

Pakistan Champions then lost two more wickets in quick succession — Kamran Akmal (24) and Younis Khan (7) — and consequently slipped to 79/4 in 11.3 overs.

Shoaib Malik, the leading run-scorer of the World Championship of Legends, took the reigns of Pakistan Champions batting expedition against India Champions and kept the scoreboard ticking with an anchoring knock.

Malik put together brief partnerships with Misbah-ul-Haq (18) and Aamer Yamin (7) before walking back to the dugout on the last delivery of the 18th over.

He remained the top-scorer for Pakistan Champions with a gutsy 41 off 36 deliveries, laced up with three sixes. Later, Sohail Tanvir’s short cameo took Pakistan Champions’ total past the 150-run mark.

The all-rounder made an unbeaten 19 off nine while Shahid Afridi made a run-a-ball four and returned not out.

Anureet Singh was the star with the ball for India Champions while Vinay Kumar, Pawan Negi and Irfan Pathan chipped in with a wicket apiece.