WCL 2025: Bowl-Out returns to cricket after 18 years, as South Africa-West Indies clash ties

Published - 20 Jul 2025, 16:55 IST | Updated - 20 Jul 2025, 17:20 IST

South Africa Champions edged past West Indies Champions via a dramatic and nostalgic bowl-out in the ongoing World Championship of Legends 2025 clash at Edgbaston, Birmingham. The rain-affected contest ended in a tie with both teams scoring 80 runs, pushing the result into a rare bowl-out, last seen famously during the 2007 T20 World Cup.

The match was initially scheduled for 20 overs per side but was reduced to 11 overs due to constant rain. Batting first, the West Indies Champions posted 79/5. Lendl Simmons top-scored with 28 runs, while Aaron Phangiso was the pick of the South African bowlers, returning with figures of 2 for 19 in 3 overs.

In reply, the South African Champions were off to a poor start, losing two wickets in the third over. However, a solid 42-run stand between Hashim Amla and Sarel Erwee steadied the innings. After Amla's dismissal in the eighth over, the run-flow once again dipped. Despite JP Duminy’s late cameo of 25 off 12 balls, the Proteas finished on 80/6, falling just one run short of the DLS target of 81, leading to a tied match.

With no Super Over in play, the match went into a bowl-out, a method once used in T20 cricket where bowlers aimed at unguarded stumps, similar to penalty shootouts in football. Each team got five attempts to hit the stumps. South Africa bowled first and missed their first three attempts as Aaron Phangiso, Hardus Viljoen, and Chris Morris all failed to hit the stumps. But JJ Smuts and Wayne Parnell hit the first wicket, following with Wayne Parnell knocking the stump with a full toss, setting a target of two hits for the West Indies. However, none of the West Indies bowlers, including Fidel Edwards, Sheldon Cottrell, Ashley Nurse, and Dwayne Bravo, could hit the target. With a 2-0 scoreline in the bowl-out, South Africa were declared the winners.

Nostalgia pro max! 🥹A tied match between the SA Champions and WI Champions was decided by a bowl-out, taking us back to the memories of the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup! ✨#WCL2025 👉 IND Champions vs SA Champions | TUE, 22nd JULY, 5 PM | LIVE on Star Sports Network

The match featured several cricketing icons, including AB de Villiers, Amla, Chris Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo. South Africa will now face India on July 22 in Northampton, while the West Indies will take on England on the same day and venue. Meanwhile, the blockbuster India vs Pakistan clash, scheduled for July 20, was cancelled due to political tensions and Indian players’ objections.