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.