Pakistan Champions defeated Australia by five wickets in the second match of World of Champions 2024 at the Edgbaston Cricket Stadium in Birmingham.
Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq starred for Pakistan as the pair added 90 runs for the fifth wicket. The Men in Green chased down the total in the last over.
Pakistan didn't had a best of the start in the run chase, losing Sharjeel Khan (17) and Kamran Akmal (4) early.
Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik gave life to the chase with aggressive knocks before getting dismissed.
It all boiled down to Misbah and Younis, who stabilised the innings in the run chase. Younis got out after scoring 41-ball 63 while Misbah remained not out on 46 off 30 balls. Shahid Afridi chipped in with 5-ball 11*.
Brett Lee and Nathan Coulter-Nile picked two wickets each for the Aussies.
Earlier, Australia Champions scored a total of 189-7 after being put into bat first. Shaun Marsh opened the innings with Aaron Finch but struggled to find his rhythm, scoring 16 runs off 20 balls
Finch, on the other hand, played a commanding innings, smashing 68 runs off 40 balls, including 9 fours and 3 sixes, boasting an impressive strike rate of 170. His aggressive batting laid a solid foundation for the team.
Ben Dunk contributed significantly as well, scoring 27 runs off 18 balls, with 4 boundaries and 1 six.
Meanwhile, Callum Ferguson played a crucial role towards the end of the innings, remaining unbeaten with 26 runs off 16 balls, hitting 2 fours and 1 six. Nathan Coulter-Nile also played a quick cameo, scoring 25 runs off 10 balls, including 2 fours and as many sixes.
Malik and Afridi bagged two wickets each and were pick of the bowlers.
Remember, in the first game of the competition, India Champions defeated England Champions by three wickets.
The matches of World Championship of Legends 2024 are being shown live on Geo Super.