West Indies Secures Historic Final Spot
Fans following cricket live coverage witnessed a thrilling finish as the West Indies Champions overcame the Australia Champions in the semifinal of the World Championship of Legends 2026. Powered by an unbeaten knock from Chadwick Walton and a brilliant bowling spell from Sheldon Cottrell, the West Indies squad advanced to their first-ever tournament final.
Australia Recovers After Early Collapse
After winning the toss and opting to bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Australia faced a disastrous start. Sheldon Cottrell struck twice in the opening over, dismissing both openers for ducks. Wicketkeeper Ben Duck fell shortly after, leaving Australia struggling at 4/3. However, a 110-run partnership between Joe Burns and Jonathan Wells brought the team back into contention. Burns smashed 86 runs from 52 balls, while Wells contributed 49 runs before getting dismissed. Australia ultimately finished their innings at 172/7 in 20 overs.
The Chase and Match-Winning Partnership
During the run chase, the West Indies also experienced a slow start, losing their opening pair inside the powerplay overs. Lendl Simmons and Jermain Blackwood fell relatively cheaply to put pressure on the batting side. The momentum shifted when Walton partnered with veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, adding 96 runs for the third wicket. Chanderpaul chipped in with 41 runs, while Walton remained undefeated on 87, guiding his team home with six balls to spare.
Looking Ahead to the Final
With this victory, the West Indies set up a final clash against England Champions, who had previously defeated South Africa Champions in the first semifinal of the competition.
Sources: Livemint, Cricbuzz, The Sunday Guardian.
