World Championship of Legends: South Africa beat Pakistan by 9 wickets

Pakistan faced their inaugural defeat against South Africa in the 2024 World Championship of Legends at Northampton’s County Ground on Monday. Despite setting a target of 211 runs, Younis Khan’s team couldn’t defend it as South Africa comfortably chased it down in the 19th over with just one wicket lost.

Batting first after being put in by South Africa, Pakistan posted 210/4 on the board. Kamran Akmal departed early for 13 runs to Vernon Philander, but Sharjeel Khan took charge, anchoring the innings alongside contributions from other batsmen. Sharjeel partnered with Sohaib Maqsood (24) for an 85-run stand, scoring a rapid 72 off 36 balls, including seven fours and six sixes. Shahid Afridi also made a brief cameo with 20 runs off 10 balls. Shoaib Malik (51 off 26 balls) and Abdul Razzaq (25 off 15 balls) accelerated towards the end, propelling Pakistan beyond the 200-run mark.

In their chase, South Africa lost JP Duminy early but recovered swiftly as Jacques Snyman (82 off 47 balls) and Sarel Erwee (105 off 57 balls) forged a formidable partnership. Erwee’s century and Snyman’s aggressive batting ensured South Africa surpassed Pakistan’s total comfortably.

Pakistan had already secured a spot in the semi-finals by winning their first four matches, alongside Australia. India, West Indies, and South Africa remain in contention, while England has been eliminated from the race to the final four.