WCL 2025: West Indies Champions edge past England Champions in thriller

Chadwick Walton’s explosive 83-run followed by Fidel Edwards’ four-wicket haul sealed a 10-run victory for West Indies Champions over England Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 at the County Cricket Ground on Tuesday.

Chasing a challenging 165-run total, England Champions crumbled under pressure and were bowled out for 154 on the final ball of the game.

Earlier, Chadwick Walton’s explosive 83 and Kieron Pollard’s quick-fire 30-run cameo took West Indies Champions to a strong total.

Put into bat first, West Indies Champions posted 164-9 in their allocated 20 overs.

England capitalized on the decision early, removing the top-order batters inside the first four overs.

Opener Dwayne Smith was removed for a golden duck in the opening over, while Lendl Simmons could only manage to score four runs.

However, following early hiccups, veteran batter Chris Gayle and Chadwick Walton forged a 44-run partnership.

Chris Gayle was removed for 21 off 19 balls with the aid of a six and two boundaries as England Champions reduced them to 61-3 in nine overs.

With the early departure of William Perkins’ (5), West Indies were reeling at 74-4.

However, Kieron Pollard and Chadwick Walton formed a crucial 80-run stand in quick time to lift them out of trouble.

The duo’s partnership was enough to take West Indies Champions to 154 in 16.4 overs. Pollard struck two sixes and three fours for his 30-run knock, while Walton’s 83 off 50 balls featured five towering sixes and eight fours.

For England Champions, Stuart Meaker was the standout bowler, taking four wickets in his four overs while giving away only 24 runs.

The WCL 2025 will be contested across four English venues: Edgbaston (Birmingham), County Ground (Northampton), Grace Road (Leicester), and Headingley (Leeds).

Six teams, India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies, will face off in a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-finals.

The upcoming edition marks the second installment of the WCL, following the inaugural tournament held in 2024, where the Indian team, led by the legendary Yuvraj Singh, emerged as champions.

Playing XIs

Eng Champions

Tim Ambrose(w), Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan(c), Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett, Ajmal Shahzad, Stuart Meaker, Chris Tremlett, Ryan Sidebottom

West Indies Champions

Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle(c), Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Chadwick Walton(w), Dwayne Bravo, William Perkins, Ashley Nurse, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Sulieman Benn