Pakistan outclassed England by 79 runs in the tenth match of the World Championship of Legends 2024 at Edgbaston Stadium, Birmingham.
The Men in Green remain unbeaten with their fourth win of the competition, having previously defeated Australia, West Indies, and India.
Pakistan secured an early dismissal of England captain Kevin Pietersen (4). Phil Mustard tried to keep England in contention, but Ian Bell (11) was the second man to depart, courtesy of Yasir Arafat’s run out. Mustard (34) was dismissed while attempting to accelerate, and Kevin O’Brien (24) was clean bowled by Shoaib Malik.
No other batters managed to perform significantly, with Pakistan taking wickets at regular intervals, leading to England being bowled out for 117.
Saeed Ajmal took three wickets, while Abdul Razzaq bagged two. Shoaib Malik, Sohail Khan, and Aamer Yamin each took one wicket.
Earlier, Pakistan posted 196/4 after being asked to bat first by England. The Men in Green lost openers Kamran Akmal (11) and Sharjeel Khan (13) early, but a 121-run partnership between Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik laid the foundation for a substantial total.
Maqsood made 64 off 44 balls, while Malik scored 51 off 33 balls. Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, leading in place of Younis Khan, stepped up with an unbeaten 23 off 14 balls, while Abdul Razzaq hit an unbeaten 20 off 9 balls.
Stuart Meaker was the best bowler for England, finishing with figures of 2/25. It should be noted that the top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals. Pakistan are at the top of the points table with 8 points, followed by Australia and India with four points each.
England are in fourth place with two points. The matches of the World Championship of Legends 2024 are being shown live on Geo Super.
Playing XIs
England Champions: Kevin Pietersen (c), Phil Mustard (wk), Ian Bell, Owais Shah, Kevin O’Brien, Ali Brown, Usman Afzaal, Darren Maddy, Stuart Meaker, Chris Schofield, Ryan Jay Sidebottom
Pakistan Champions: Kamran Akmal (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Sohaib Maqsood, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Aamer Yamin, Abdul Razzaq, Sohail Tanvir, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Arafat
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
