WCL Archives

John Hastings approached by anti-corruption unit for 18-ball over against Pakistan

Former Australia pacer John Hastings has disclosed that the anti-corruption unit approached him regarding his bizarre 18-ball over during the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 clash against the Pakistan Champions.

A month earlier, during the Australia Champions WCL clash against Pakistan, Hastings bowled an 18-ball over in which he bowled two consecutive sets of five wides and conceded a total of 20 runs.

Due to his over, Pakistan Champions eventually won the match without losing any wickets while chasing a modest total of 75 runs.

Speaking during a recent interview, Hastings shed light on the over and the conversation he had with the anti-corruption unit.

“The anti-corruption guys came up to me and said, ‘gee you put us through a bit of hell last night,” Hastings revealed.

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“He said we had to have a look at it. You missed the pitch on one of your balls. I said, ‘Do you think I’ll be doing any sort of match-fixing or anything like that?” Hastings questioned

“He said ‘No, but we don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing for the last seven years’. I said, ‘I’m not corrupt’. The Pakistan game, it’s hard to explain,” he said.

The pacer further stated he also deleted his social media following the conclusion of game along with receiving text messages from the cricket fraternity

“I had so many text messages from all the cricket fraternity, but I had also deleted social media for three days straightaway when I came off the field after the Pakistan game. I didn’t want to deal with it,” the 39-year-old said.

“It’s not funny, but it’s one of those you can’t explain when you’re actually bowling. It was hard to take, it was embarrassing, and it was horrendous. But I am back on social media. So, the 1.5 million people who messaged me on Instagram, I’ll reply to you when I can,” John Hastings concluded.

READ: Joe Root responds to David Warner’s ‘surfboard’ remark ahead of the Ashes

WCL: Pakistan Champions owner criticizes PCB’s ‘blanket ban’ decision

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan has reacted to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) recent decision, which bars his franchise from using the country’s name in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL).

Khan expressed his disappointment regarding the “blanket ban” announced by the PCB following its 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting.

The cricket board released a strong statement on Sunday, criticizing the WCL organizers for their “double standards and politically motivated behavior.”

This decision was made after the India Champions refused to play against the Pakistan Champions during the WCL 2025, due to the ongoing political tensions between the two countries.

India pulled out of two scheduled matches, a group-stage encounter and the high-stakes semi-final, both of which were called off without a ball being bowled.

Points were shared in the group game, while Pakistan advanced to the final via a walkover in the semi-final.

However, the final saw Pakistan Champions fall short once again, suffering a nine-wicket defeat to South Africa Champions, their second successive runners-up finish in the tournament.

Despite the disappointment, Kamil Khan remained upbeat about his side’s overall campaign and strongly defended the team’s identity.

“Just like the first season, Pakistan Champions performed really well in the second season too,” he said while speaking to the media in Birmingham.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the final, which we really wanted to, and millions of Pakistanis were hoping for it as well.

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“But the team played well throughout. One bad day doesn’t make a team bad. Losing one final doesn’t mean the Pakistan Champions is over.”

Reacting to the PCB’s ban, Kamil made it clear that his team will return and continue to exist independently of the cricket board’s jurisdiction.

“We’ve seen reports that Pakistan Champions won’t be back, but I don’t know where that’s come from. If it’s from the PCB, then I’m not sure why,” he stated.

“This is our own team. I own it. It’s a private league, and I am the owner. PCB does not own the team. There are so many private leagues around the world; no one can stop us from naming our team after our country. Pakistan is our pride.”

Kamil Khan further revealed that the participation of Pakistani players in WCL 2025 was fully approved by the cricket board, as NOCs were obtained prior to the event.

“We took NOCs from the PCB for all the players,” he shared.

“In fact, we also met with Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was supportive and helpful. I’m thankful to him for backing Pakistan Champions.”

He stressed that the team’s name was chosen to represent national pride, not to exploit official branding, and clarified that there was no infringement involved.

“There was no contact from the PCB before or after the tournament,” Kamil said.

“This is our national identity. We named the team accordingly. We didn’t use PCB’s logo or any of their branding, only their players, and that too after securing official clearance.”

READ: Pakistan’s star players join Northern Superchargers for The Hundred 2025

Pakistan Champions unveil pace attack for WCL 2025

Pakistan Champions have announced the experienced pace attack for the World Championship of Legends (WCL), scheduled to take place from July 18 to August 2, 2025.

The league will be held in England, with the franchise announcing the inclusion of experienced pacers Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Rumman Raees, and Sohail Khan.

The franchise announced the arrival of the Pacers via social media handles.

“Raw pace, Relentless aggression, left-arm angle, right-arm fire they’re coming in hot. This trio isn’t here to bowl… they’re here to dominate,” the post read.

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The quartet has extensive experience, having played 1,004 T20 matches overall and taken a total of 1,115 wickets.

Apart from pacers, explosive left-handed batter Sharjeel Khan is also retained for the second edition of WCL.

Sharjeel Khan was pivotal in Pakistan Champions’ success in the last edition. He was the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, amassing 221 runs in seven matches at a healthy average of 31.57 with an impressive strike rate of 193.85.

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“You blink, and you miss a SIX,” the franchise captioned the post. “Sharjeel Khan is back to set the tone from ball one in #WCLSeason2. How many sixes do you see him hitting in Season 2?” Pakistan Champions announced the southpaw’s arrival in a social media post.

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For the unversed, the 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 semi-finals.

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.

READ: ICC unveils nominees for Men’s player of the month award for June

India Champions’ squad revealed for WCL 2025

India Champions have named their squad for the upcoming edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) season 2, scheduled to take place from July 18 to August 2, 2025, in England.

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh will lead the 16-member defending champions squad, featuring star players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Harbhajan Singh.

The pace attack will be spearheaded by Varun Aaron, Siddharth Kaul, and Vinay Kumar.

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India Champions, the winners of the inaugural edition,will begin their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan on July 20. They will then face the champions of England on July 27, followed by a match against the champions of the West Indies in their final league-stage game on July 29.

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For the unversed, the 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 semi-finals.

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

India Champions squad for WCL 2025:

Yuvraj Singh (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla, Stuart Binny, Gurkeerat Maan, Vinay Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Varun Aaron, Abhimanyu Mithun, and Pawan Negi.

READ: Pakistan to lock horns with India on THIS date in Asia Cup 2025: reports

Ab de Villiers set to return as South Africa squad unveiled for WCL 2025

The South Africa Champions have named a star-studded squad led by star batter AB de Villiers for the World Championship of Legends (WCL) season 2, set to be held in England from July 18 to August 2.

De Villiers is joined by the South African batting maestro Hashim Amla, along with Chris Morris, JP Duminy, and Wayne Parnell.

Following the squad announcement, AB de Villiers expressed his excitement to be back on the field.

“There’s nothing like playing for South Africa. Being back with this group of legends, in front of fans who’ve always supported us, is truly special. WCL is a celebration of cricket’s spirit—and we’re here not just to participate, but to compete and ultimately to win,” De Villiers said.

In addition to this, franchise owner Amandeep Singh commented on the squad’s strength, mentioning the fans around the globe.

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“This squad is crafted to ignite passion and inspire fans worldwide,” Singh stated.

“Legends like AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, and JP Duminy carry a legacy that echoes across generations. We are truly honoured to have them lead our campaign in WCL 2025, and we are confident the South Africa Champions will set the tournament ablaze,” he added.

For the unversed, the 2025 WCL 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 semi-finals.

South Africa Champions squad for WCL 2025:

AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Chris Morris, Albie Morkel, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, Wayne Parnell, JJ Smuts, Hardus Viljoen, Richard Levi, Dane Vilas, SJ Erwee, Duanne Olivier, Morne van Wyk and Aaron Phangiso.

READ: Chris Gayle named in star-studded West Indies squad for WCL 2025