In the final of the 2024 World Championship of Legends in Birmingham on Saturday, veteran Pakistan batter Misbah-ul-Haq injured himself while batting and was forced to retire after scoring 18 off 15 in the match between India Champions and Pakistan Champions. However, in a classy gesture from Robin Uthappa, the former India international helped Misbah as the Pakistan Champions player limped off the field.
The incident happened in the 17th over of Pakistan’s innings, when Misbah hurt his leg and was visibly in pain. In a moment of sportsmanship, Uthappa left his wicketkeeping duties to help Misbah, offering him a shoulder to love off the field. The incredible act amid the tense clash in Birmingham instantly went viral on social media as Uthappa won the hearts of fans.
The official broadcasters, FanCode, later shared the a clip of that moment in Birmingham and captioned it: “Spirit of Cricket.”
In the WCL 2024 final, Pakistan opted to bat first at the venue which has favoured the chasing team. Shoaib Malik top-scored for Pakistan Champions with his 41 off 36, while Sohail Tanvir smashed 19 off 9 as the side amassed 156 for six. Anureet Singh was the pick of the bowlers from the Indian Champions, bagging three wickets for 43 runs. Meanwhile, Irfan Pathan, Pawan Negi and Vinay Kumar picked up a wicket each.
In response, Ambati Rayudu laid the foundation for the perfect chase with his fiery half-century before Yusuf Pathan carved out an aggressive cameo to help India chased down the target with five balls to spare.
The win also helped India Champions avenge their loss in the group-stage encounter against arch-rivals Pakistan. A fiery thundering performance from the Pakistan top-order – Kamran Akmal, Sharjeel Khan and Shoaib Maqsood – all of whom scored their respective fifties – had helped the team script an emphatic 68-run win at the same venue last week.
