Pakistan Champions captain Younis Khan appreciated the level of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2024 after losing the final to India Champions by five wickets at Edgbaston, Birmingham on July 13. The 46-year-old Younis said that before the competition he wanted to bat at no.11 and hide himself in the field.
"Some amazing cricket was played throughout the competition, before coming I thought of playing at No.11 and hiding on the field," Younis said in the post-match presentation.
Younis congratulated India for the title win in the inaugural edition of the tournament.
"Congratulations to India, they played like legends," Younis said. "They were spot on in all three departments.”
Pakistan batters who were in sublime form in the tournament and posted big scores, managed to set a target of 157 in the final. Younis rued wickets falling at regular intervals and lack of partnerships after he won the toss and opted to bat first in overcast conditions.
"We planned to put up a total on the board but having partnerships is mandatory in the final. India made some partnerships which helped them to chase down the total. We couldn't replicate our batting performance of the semi-finals where we stitched some partnerships," he added.
Younis bamboozled by Irfan
Younis came to bat at no 5 in the final after opener Kamran Akmal departed. He did not hit a single boundary and struggled to rotate the strike. He was castled by an excellent delivery from Irfan Pathan. The ball went through the bat and pad gap as he played across and got bowled. He scored just seven runs from 11 balls.
Younis lauded fitness levels of retired Pakistan players
Earlier, Younis had talked about the fitness levels of Pakistan players in the tournament as well.
"It's not like that. Our current 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 said after beating India Champions at the league stage.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
