India And Pakistan Set For Historic Final In World Championship Of Legends 2024

India Champions and Pakistan Champions triumphed in their semi-final matches, setting up an exciting final in the World Championship of Legends 2024 at County Ground on Friday (July 12).

Pakistan Champions narrowly defeated West Indies by 20 runs, while India Champions secured a commanding 86-run victory over Australia Champions in the second semi-final.

In the second semi-final, India Champions dominated Australia Champions with an impressive 86-run win. Yuvraj Singh's team batted first and posted a massive total of 254 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.

Robin Uthappa set the stage with a blistering 65 off 35 balls, including six fours and four sixes. Yuvraj Singh contributed significantly with a captain's knock of 59 off just 28 balls. Lower down the order, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan added quick runs, scoring unbeaten 51 off 23 balls and 50 off 19 balls respectively.

The Australian bowlers struggled to contain the Indian batsmen, with Peter Siddle being the standout bowler taking four wickets for 57 runs. In response, Australia's chase faltered early as Shaun Marsh (2) and Ben Dunk (10) were dismissed quickly. Despite efforts from Aaron Finch (16) and Callum Ferguson (23), they couldn't keep up with the required run rate.

Tim Paine remained unbeaten on 40 off 32 balls, while Nathan Coulter-Nile's late surge of 30 off 13 balls wasn't enough. Indian bowlers Rahul Shukla (2/25), Dhawal Kulkarni (2/43), and Pawan Negi (2/35) kept the pressure on, restricting Australia to 168 for 7 in their 20 overs.

In the first semi-final, West Indies captain Darren Sammy chose to field after winning the toss. Pakistan Champions, led by Younis Khan, set a challenging target of 195 for 8 in their allotted overs. Kamran Akmal was instrumental with his quickfire innings of 48 off 31 balls.

Shoaib Malik added valuable runs with his knock of 39 off 24 balls, while Tanvir's explosive batting yielded him a score of 40 off just 18 balls. Despite disciplined bowling from Jerome Taylor and S Benn who took two wickets each, Pakistan managed to post a formidable total.

West Indies began their chase positively with Dwayne Smith scoring a rapid-fire 28 off just 14 balls and Chris Gayle contributing with a solid knock of 27 off 19 balls. However, regular fall of wickets hindered their progress. Ashley Nurse tried to anchor the innings with his steady knock of 21 off 23 balls but couldn't prevent the collapse.

Sohail Khan was exceptional with the ball claiming three wickets for just thirty runs. Saeed Ajmal and Yasir Arafat supported well by taking two wickets each. The West Indies' batting lineup struggled to form partnerships and eventually fell short at finishing at all out for175 in19.5 overs.

The final between India and Pakistan is scheduled for Saturday (March13) at County Ground starting from9:30 PM IST.

Brief scores: