In a World Championship of Legends (WCL) match at Edgbaston on Thursday, South Africa Champions had an exciting victory, defeating Australia Champions in the second semi-final. Australia needed three runs on the last ball to win after chasing 187, but AB de Villiers made an excellent throw to prevent them from reaching the final.
Wayne Parnell bowled a yorker, which Dan Christian turned into a full toss and hit towards de Villiers at long-on. Christian and Nathan Coulter-Nile attempted a double, but de Villiers made a near-perfect throw to Parnell, who secured the run-out.
South Africa will now play Pakistan Champions in the final. Pakistan got to the final because India Champions declined to play their semi-final because of tensions between the two countries.
The Indian Champions team, with players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina, had also refused to play their group stage match. Relations have declined after a terror attack in Pahalgam in April, followed by a response by the Indian Armed Forces.
Things seem normal in international cricket, with both teams scheduled to play in the Asia Cup in the UAE on September 14. The Indian women’s team will also play their ICC Women’s World Cup match against their rivals on October 6 in Colombo.