Tag: World Championship of Legends

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan has discussed the crucial role and necessary traits for a successful captain after Pakistan Champions’ victory over India Champions in the World Championship of Legends.

While addressing the media after the match, Younis Khan dedicated the victory to Pakistan fans, who were left heartbroken after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 debacle.

He advised the fans to remain patient and back the team in crucial times.

“The advice to the fans is to stay patient as change cannot happen overnight. We cannot just remove the current players and bring players from outside, this cannot work,” said Younis Khan.

Babar Azam-led Pakistan team is facing massive criticism from fans and former players alike over their disastrous performance in the T20 World Cup, with many calling for a change in leadership.

Talking about the captaincy, the former captain shed light on the qualities of a good captain.

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“A captain should be someone who is capable of leading the side, who can handle the pressure. It’s not just about batting or bowling, a captain should think of every player, even if the player is on the bench,” Khan stated.

“You should know the player’s technique, his energy and skills. Only then, you can get the best out of them,” he added.

Moreover, he cited the examples of former Pakistan captains Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, who took the best of their players and built a team that served the nation for years.

“We talk about the great Imran Khan, Javed bhai (Javed Miandad), or Wasim Akram. Why were they good coaches [or captains]? Because they gave us players like Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Razzaq, Azhar Mahmood, and Shahid Afridi. According to me, a leader should be a good motivator alongside being a good batter or bowler,” Khan concluded.

Younis Khan-led Pakistan Champions are currently sitting at the top of the World Championship of Legends standings with eight points from four games.

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BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan Champions continued their unbeaten run in the World Championship of Legends as they defeated England Champions to qualify for the semi-finals at Edgbaston here on Sunday.

While batting first, Pakistan Champions posted a mammoth 196-4 in 20 overs courtesy of half-centuries by Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik.

They had a shaky start to their innings as Stuart Meaker dismissed opening batters Kamran Akmal (11) and Sharjeel Khan (13) in the same over with 28 runs on the board.

However, Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik helped the team recover with a 121-run partnership for the third wicket.

Darren Maddy provided the breakthrough as he castled Malik after he had scored 51 off 33 with the help of five boundaries and two sixes.

Sohaib Maqsood played a quick 64-run knock from 44 balls featuring two boundaries and six sixes before falling prey to Chris Schofield.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Abdul Razzaq then added 39 runs in the last three overs to help Pakistan Champions score 196-4. Razzaq scored 20 off 9, while Misbah scored 23 off 14.

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Stuart Meaker led the bowling for England Champions with the figures of 2-25.

In response, England Champions bundled out for 117 runs in 17 overs, suffering their second consecutive loss in the tournament.

Aamer Yamin gave Pakistan its first success with the wicket of England captain Kevin Pietersen (4).

Meanwhile, Ian Bell scored run-a-ball 11 before getting run out in the fifth over.

Phil Mustard scored 30 off 17, while Kevin O’Brien scored 24 off 17 but failed to get England out of the trouble as wickets kept falling at an alarming rate.

England’s lower order collapsed miserably as they lost six wickets for a meagre 37 runs, bundling out for 117. Overall, only four batters managed to reach double figures.

Saeed Ajmal led the bowling with the figures of 3-12, while Abdul Razzaq picked two wickets.

The 79-run victory extended Pakistan Champions’ lead at the top of the World Championship of Legends standings with eight points from four games. They are followed by Australia Champions and India Champions with four points each.

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Pakistan Champions’ captain Younis Khan dedicated the victory over India Champions in the World Championship of Legends to the national team’s fans, who were left heartbroken in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan men’s cricket team, in a first, were knocked out from the group stage of the T20 World Cup, majorly because of their upset defeat against the USA, followed by a gut-wrenching defeat against arch-rivals India.

The back-to-back defeats had put Pakistan on the verge of an early exit from the tournament while the abandonment of the crucial group-stage fixture between USA and Ireland officially marked the end of their campaign in T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan team is facing massive criticism from fans and former players alike over their disastrous performance in the mega-event.

However, Pakistan Champions’ performance in the ongoing tournament has somewhat helped in healing the fans’ wounds.

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Younis Khan, during the post-match post-match press conference, shared that his side wanted to defeat India to give the fans something to celebrate.

“The way Pakistan lost and got knocked out of the 2024 T20 World Cup was very disappointing. We wanted to defeat India and give our fans something to smile about,” said Pakistan’s 2009 T20 World Cup-winning captain.

He also dismissed the notion that the retired players playing in Pakistan Champions are fitter than the current national team.

“It’s not like that. Our current national team is very fit. When a team doesn’t win, such things are said. We are winning, which is why people are speaking positively about us,” he added.

Younis Khan-led Pakistan Champions defeated India Champions by 68 runs, courtesy of Sharjeel Khan and Kamran Akmal’s quickfire half-centuries on Saturday.

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BIRMINGHAM: Sharjeel Khan and Kamran Akmal’s quickfire half-centuries, followed by a dominant bowling display led Pakistan Champions to a thumping 68-run victory over India Champions in the eighth match of the World Championship of Legends at Edgbaston here on Saturday.

Chasing a daunting total of 244, India Champions only managed 175/9 in the allotted overs despite Suresh Raina’s half-century.

India Champions had a shaky start to the pursuit as Robin Uthappa perished in the third over after scoring 22 off 12.

Suresh Raina then joined Ambati Rayudu and the duo put India Champions in a comfortable position with belligerent hitting and kept up with the required run-rate.

However, Shoaib Malik cleaned up Rayudu in the eighth over to provide Pakistan Champions a much-needed breakthrough.

Ambati Rayudu smashed three fours and two sixes on his way to a 23-ball 39.

India Champions then lost two more wickets — Yusuf Pathan (0) and Gurkeerat Singh Mann (1) in quick succession and consequently slipped to 90/4 in 9.2 overs.

The back-to-back dismissals halted the flow of runs for the India Champions, causing the required run rate to skyrocket.

Pakistan Champions banked on the mounting pressure on India Champions and struck at regular intervals.

Raina was the last one to walk back when he was cleaned up by Sohail Tanvir in the penultimate over.

He remained the top-scorer for India Champions with 52 off 40 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes.

Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz bagged three wickets each for Pakistan Champions while Sohail Tanvir and Sohail Khan made one scalp each.

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India captain Harbhajan Singh’s decision to put Pakistan into bat did not prove beneficial as their bowlers received thrashing by the latter’s openers.

Akmal and Sharjeel hit the India Champions all around the ground and recorded a belligerent partnership with both scoring half-centuries.

The duo had taken Pakistan Champions to 132 for no loss at the halfway mark as 250 looked like an achievable total.

Pacer Anureet Singh then drew a much-needed success for India Champions when he finally got rid of threatening Sharjeel.

The left-handed opener smashed seven fours and five sixes on his way to a 30-ball 72.

Walking out to bat at No.3, Sohaib Maqsood made sure the Pakistan Champions did not lose momentum and added further to the misery of the India Champions.

He was involved in an important second-wicket partnership with Kamran Akmal, who fell victim to Pawan Negi in the 14th over.

Kamran remained the top-scorer for the Pakistan Champions with 77 off 40 deliveries, laced up with nine fours and four sixes.

Maqsood then joined forces with active senior all-rounder Shoaib Malik and formed yet another crucial partnership for Pakistan Champions.

The duo of Maqsood and Malik added 41 runs for the third wicket before RP Singh dismissed him in the 18th over.

Maqsood scored a brisk 51 off 26 deliveries, peppered with two fours and five sixes.

Pakistan Champions then sustained another blow to their batting expedition when hard-hitting all-rounder Shahid Afridi walked back for a golden duck.

Malik then combined with Aamer Yamin (5*) to add valuable runs at the backend. He scored an unbeaten 25 off 18 balls with the help of two fours.

For India Champions, Pawan Negi, RP Singh, Dhawal Kulkarni and Anureet Singh made one scalp each.

The 59-run victory lifted Pakistan Champions to the top of the World Championship of Legends standings with six points in three matches while India Champions remained third with four points in as many matches.

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