Pakistan to lock horns with England in WCL 2025 opener today

Pakistan to kick off their World Championship of the Legends (WCL) 2025 campaign today against the England Champions at Edgbaston Stadium today Friday.

The team including Champions captain Mohammad Hafeez, all-rounder Shoaib Malik, pacer Rumman Raees, and top-order batter Sharjeel Khan arrived earlier at Birmingham Airport.

On the other hand, England’s former test captain Alastair Cook will be making a return to cricket. Cook had retired from international cricket in 2018 following the series against India.

“It is great to be back playing for my country. I am really looking forward to being back on the field with Eoin and the other guys,” Alastair Cook had said earlier in an official statement.

Cook played 161 Tests for England, scoring 12,472 runs at an average of 45.35. England also have Ian Bell, Moeen Ali, Chris Tremlett and Liam Plunkett in their squad.

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For the unversed, the much-anticipated second edition of WCL 2025 will be contested across four English venues: Edgbaston (Birmingham), County Ground (Northampton), Grace Road (Leicester), and Headingley (Leeds).

Six teams —India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies —will face off in a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the semifinals.

The upcoming edition marks the second installment of the WCL, following the inaugural tournament held in 2024, where the Indian team, led by the legendary Yuvraj Singh, emerged as champions.

During the inaugural season, Younis Khan-led Pakistan were among the standout teams, producing dominant performances throughout the group stage.

Despite a spirited effort, Pakistan Champions fell just short in the final against arch-rivals India. After setting a target of 157, they couldn’t prevent India from chasing it down with five wickets and five balls to spare.

Pakistan Champions squad

Mohammad Hafeez (c), Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Amin, Sharjeel Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK), Shahid Afridi, Asif Ali, Aamer Yamin, Wahab Riaz, Rumman Raees, Sohail Tanvir, Sohail Khan.

England Champions squad

Sir Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan(c), Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara, Phil Mustard(w), Usman Afzaal, Chris Tremlett, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Liam Plunkett, Ryan Sidebottom, Tim Ambrose, Ajmal Shahzad, Stuart Meaker.