South Africa defeated the West Indies in their first match of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. The clash went down to the wire, right into the bowl, as the teams ended the rain-hit game in a stalemate on 80. The match was shortened to 11 overs per side after rain had made its presence felt in Birmingham.
The West Indies Champions have missed their first four balls, which means that South Africa Champions have emerged victorious in the clash. What a game of cricket we have had here.
South Africa Champions have hit two out of their five tries in the bowl outs! A subpar showing by the side.
Taking one run off the final ball, the match will now be decided by bowl outs after the scores are levelled.
The West Indies are in command! Another wicket falls! Two runs needed off the final delivery!
SA are ion a complex situation here. Two runs needed off the last two balls. The score reads 79-5!
South Africa Champions are slowly moving towards the target, Erwee looks set on the crease. After 6 overs in the second innings, the score reads 37-2.
Erwee and Amla have stabilised the innings for South Africa. After four overs, SA Champions' score reads 23-2.
South Africa's star man AB de Villiers has departed on a score of four runs. The Proteas are in deep trouble here. SA Champions now 8-2.
Levi has been beaten all ends up! Sheldon Cottrell takes his first wicket as Levi departs on a score of five runs.
Hashim Amla and Richard Levi are opening the innings for South Africa Champions. The side will hope to get off to a good start here.
South Africa Champions have done a commendable job with the ball here. West Indies Champions post a total of 79 runs in the first innings, SA needs 80 runs to win the game.
Dwayne Bravo has departed after adding eight runs on the board. The West Indies Champions have lost their fifth wicket on a score of 69 runs!
South Africa Champions have struck once again! Lendl Simmons has departed after scoring 28 runs in 21 deliveries. WI Champions now 50-4.
Kieron Pollard departs on a golden duck! West Indies Champions have lost their third wicket of the day and are in deep trouble. South Africa Champions in command, the score reads 30-3.
South Africa have taken the second wicket of the day! Dwayne Smith departs on a score of seven runs, West Indies Champions now 30-2.
Dwayne Smith and Lendl Simmons are looking to stabilise the innings for South Africa. Simmons has turned it up to fourth gear here in Birmingham, looking to accelerate very quickly. After four overs, the score reads 25-1.
Viljoen has bowled an exceptional first over here. Chris Gayle has been left begging for chunks, not able to find a boundary on any ball of the over, and even getting dismissed on the last ball of the over! West Indies Champions now 3-1 after the first over.
The players are finally out in the middle! Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith are out in the middle and will open the innings for West Indies Champions.
South Africa have won the toss here in Birmingham, and the side has opted to bowl first. The side will look to limit the Windies to a low total in the overcast conditions.
We have word from the officials! The game will kick off at 7:45 pm, and will be 11 overs per side. Players are out in the middle for their drills as well!
The match officials are not quite satisfied with the conditions as of right now. Where the rain has stopped, the square has been an area of concern. If all goes to plan, the game should kick off by 7:45 pm IST.
In brilliant news for the fans, the sun is out in Birmingham! The sun could help in drying out the field, and if the weather conditions continue, the game could start very soon.
With persistent rain still ongoing at Edgbaston, we could start losing overs very soon. However, there is no official word on the same just yet, but it is very likely that we could see a shortened game here.
It is worth noting that both West Indies Champions and South Africa Champions boast several big names in their squad, and if the game gets underway, there could be several stars who could light the stage on fire.
Squads:
South Africa Champions Squad: Richard Levi, AB de Villiers(c), Hashim Amla, Jean-Paul Duminy, JJ Smuts, Albie Morkel, Dane Vilas(w), Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Hardus Viljoen, Imran Tahir, Morne van Wyk, Aaron Phangiso, Duanne Olivier, Sarel Erwee
West Indies Champions Squad: Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle(c), Dwayne Smith, Chadwick Walton(w), Kieron Pollard, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Sulieman Benn, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Fidel Edwards, Dave Mohammed, William Perkins, Nikita Miller, Ashley Nurse
There is no good news for the fans as rain has continued in Birmingham. No signs of slowing down yet, we ould see an even more delayed start to the game here at Edgbaston.
The toss shas been delayed as rain continued to fall in Birmingham. We would have gotten the toss by now with the team sheets being available as well. However, the weather has delayed the proceedings here.
In bad news for the fans, there is a light drizzle in Birmingham. The covers are firmly in place, and it is only a matter of time before play continues. Fans can only wait at the moment.
The stage is set for game 2 of the ongoing World Test Championship (WCL) 2025, West Indies Champions take on South Africa Champions in the high-octane clash at Edgbaston in Birmingham. Stay tuned for the live updates from the game!
