Sheldon Cottrell (4/20) and Chadwick Walton’s unbeaten 87 helped West Indies Champions became the second team to book a place in the final of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2026, after beating Australia Champions in a thriller on Friday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. In the summit clash, West Indies will take on England Champions, who had defeated South Africa Champions in the first semifinal.
One of the most dominant sides in 2026, West Indies were sent to field first after Australia won the toss and opted to bat. However, Australia’s decision backfired after they lost both their openers for ducks in the very first over of the match, thanks to Cottrell’s fiery bowling.
DArcy Short was the first to go walk back after the right-hander holed out to Jermain Blackwood in the second ball of the game. Captain followed suit on the final delivery of the over, cleaned up by Cottrell, leaving Australia at 1/2 in the first over.
Cotrell had his third of the night, when he had wicketkeeper Ben Duck for just 12 in the third over. Callum Ferguson too couldn’t convert his start, falling to Suleiman Benn after giving a catch to Carlos Brathwaite. However, it was Joe Burns and Jonathan Wells, who staged a comeback for Australia with a 110-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Burns, a former Australian international who switched allegiance to lead Italy to their first T20 World Cup appearance earlier this year, played a whirlwind knock of 86 runs, off just 52 balls. During his knock, the right-hander smashed eight fours to the fence and two sixes.
While Burns was the aggressor, Wells took a backseat and held the other fort as Australia revived after being four wickets down inside the powerplay. Wells, who never represented Australia in his career, missed his fifty by a single run as he holed out to Lendl Simmons of Brathwaite.
Burns was the last man to be dismissed for Australia as they posted 172/7 in 20 overs.
