WCL 2025: West Indies Champions vs South Africa Champions Thriller Match Ends In Nostalgic Bowl-Out; Video

The World Championship of Legends 2025 witnessed a nail-biting finish to the clash between West Indies champions and South Africa champions at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Saturday, July 19. In a dramatic turn of events, the match ended in a tie and was decided by a bowl-out, reviving memories from early T20 history.

Heavy rain in Birmingham caused significant delays, and the game was eventually reduced to just 11 overs per side. Batting first, West Indies posted 79 runs, with Lendl Simmons (28) and Chadwick Walton (27) leading the charge. South African spinner Aaron Phangiso stood out with figures of 2 for 12 in his two-over spell.

South Africa in Early Trouble

In response, the Proteas suffered early setbacks, losing Richard Levi and captain AB de Villiers within the first 13 balls for just 8 runs. Sheldon Cottrell struck twice and celebrated with his trademark salutes, putting South Africa on the back foot.

Despite the early collapse, Sarel Erwee and JP Duminy reignited South Africa’s hopes with aggressive batting. Their counterattack brought the chase alive, and the Proteas needed just two runs from the last three balls. However, they fell short of finishing the job, ending their innings level with the Windies total.

West Indies Champions edge out South Africa Champions in bowl out

Proteas once again won the toss and chose to bowl first in the shootout. However, they missed their first three attempts, with Phangiso, Chris Morris and Viljoen failing to hit the stumps.

JJ Smuts finally broke the deadlock on the fourth attempt, followed by Wayne Parnell, who delivered a perfect yorker to make it two.

West Indies, needing at least two hits to stay alive, couldn’t strike once in their five chances, handing South Africa Champions a 2-0 win in the bowl-out

There was brief confusion over the final score. While West Indies finished on 79, the scoreboard during South Africa’s innings showed a revised target of 80. Commentator Aakash Chopra mentioned on air that a run may have been added to the West Indies total, though it wasn’t immediately clarified.

Why a Bowl-Out Instead of Super Over?

To fans' surprise, the tied match did not proceed to a Super Over. Instead, organisers opted for a bowl-out, reminiscent of early T20 days. The move stirred nostalgia among cricket fans worldwide.

Ahead of the tournament, WCL owner Harshit Tomar had hinted at the unique format. Speaking to the media, he said:

"2007, India vs Pakistan bowl-out is still one of my favourite memories, hence we want to revive it and keep it very original," Tomar had shared, as quoted by ANI.