Pakistan Champions climbed to second place in the 2025 World Champions League (WCL) standings after handing South Africa Champions their first defeat of the tournament with a 31-run win in Match 9 at Grace Road, Leicester. After being sent in to bat, Pakistan posted an impressive 198/5, courtesy of Umar Amin’s 58 and Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 46. Asif Ali and Aamer Yamin gave late fireworks by making the most of big overs in the 14th and 18th.

Defending the total, Pakistan's bowlers kept things tight despite South Africa's fast start. Sohail Tanvir (2/13) and Mohammad Hafeez (2/21) were the stars for Pakistan with the ball, while Rumman Raees contributed with 1/17. Morne van Wyk (44 off 20) and Wayne Parnell (21 off 9) tried to keep the chase going, but regular wickets derailed that innings.

With this crucial win, Pakistan moved to 5 points from 3 matches and improved their Net Run Rate (NRR) to +0.900, pushing them above Australia into second place. South Africa, despite the loss, stayed on top with 6 points but saw their NRR drop to +2.186.

WCL 2025 Points Table (After Match 9):

See Also: WCL 2025, Match 9: Pakistan Champions vs South Africa Champions full match highlights

Top Performers – WCL 2025

Most Runs:

• AB de Villiers (SACH) – 182 runs, Avg 182.00, SR 214.12
• Chadwick Walton (WICH) – 110 runs, Avg 55.00, SR 152.78
• Phil Mustard (ENGCH) – 101 runs, Avg 33.67, SR 117.44
• Eoin Morgan (ENGCH) – 89 runs, Avg 29.67, SR 112.66
• Chris Lynn (AUSCH) – 81 runs, Avg 81.00, SR 300.00

Most Wickets:

• Fidel Edwards (WICH) – 6 wickets, Econ 6.40
• Aaron Phangiso (SACH) – 5 wickets, Econ 5.44
• Stuart Meaker (ENGCH) – 5 wickets, Econ 7.82
• Wayne Parnell (SACH) – 5 wickets, Econ 7.58
• Duanne Olivier (SACH) – 5 wickets, Econ 8.08

Pakistan Champions defeated South Africa Champions, their first loss in the 2025 World Champions League (WCL), with a balanced 31-run win in Match 9 at Grace Road, Leicester. Pakistan batted first, and they posted an imposing 198/5, before restricting the previously unbeaten South Africans to 167/9 in 20 overs with strict bowling and strategic fielding.

Pakistan Champions Innings

Pakistan Champions posted a competitive total of 198/5 from 20 overs against the South African bowling lineup. The innings was anchored by Umar Amin, who scored 58 off 42 balls, getting dismissed by Duanne Olivier in the 17th over. Shoaib Malik provided the backbone in the middle overs and stayed unbeaten with a classy 46 off 34 balls. Asif Ali’s brutal 23 off 11, including 2 sixes and 2 fours in the 18th over, lifted the momentum. Aamer Yamin’s late cameo (11 off 4)* gave the innings an extra push. Big overs in the 14th (24 runs) and 18th (23 runs) helped push Pakistan close to the 200-mark.

South Africa Champions Innings

In reply, the South Africa Champions got off to a brisk start but kept losing wickets at regular intervals, which derailed their chase. Morne van Wyk smashed 44 off just 20 balls to give the innings a fiery launch, but the middle order failed to capitalize. Wayne Parnell tried to keep up the tempo with 21 off 9, while captain Aaron Phangiso chipped in with 13 off 8. However, Sohail Tanvir (2/13 in 2 overs) and Mohammad Hafeez (2/21 in 4 overs) produced tight spells and pulled things back really well. Rumman Raees produced a neat 1/17 as Pakistan produced constant pressure. Eventually South Africa was restricted to 167/9, falling 31 short.

See Also: WCL 2025: Points Table, Leading run scorers and wicket takers after PAKCH vs SACH Match 9

Pakistan Champions vs South Africa Champions: Scorecard

Pakistan Champions – 198/5 (20 Overs)

South Africa Champions – 167/9 (20 Overs)

Pakistan Champions defeated South Africa Champions by 31 runs in an exciting T20 match. Batting first, Pakistan put up a big total of 198 runs for 5 wickets in their 20 overs. The batters stepped up and played fearless cricket from the very start.

Sharjeel Khan and Kamran Akmal gave a quick start, hitting boundaries early in the powerplay. After their dismissals, Umar Amin played a great knock, scoring 58 runs off 42 balls. He was calm and confident at the crease. Though captain Mohammad Hafeez couldn’t contribute much, Shoaib Malik played an experienced innings of 46 not out, while Asif Ali smashed 23 from just 11 balls to lift the scoring rate. Towards the end, Aamer Yamin’s quick 11 off 4 balls gave Pakistan the strong finish they needed.

Chasing 199, South Africa never really got going. Hashim Amla, Smuts, and Davids got out early. The wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Morne van Wyk tried to fight back with a great knock of 44 not out in just 20 balls, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes. Wayne Parnell also scored quick runs 21 off 9 balls, but the target is so more to reach the target.

Pakistan’s bowlers bowled well today. Mohammad Hafeez bowled smartly and took 2 wickets for 21 runs in his 4 overs. Sohail Tanvir also bowled tightly and took 2 wickets. Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Shoaib Malik, and Rumman Raees all bowled very well and took some important wickets.

South Africa’s bowlers, except for Duanne Olivier, who took 2 wickets, struggled to control the runs. Pakistan’s batters took a change against South Africa bowlers, and they bowled some loose balls. So, they targeted them and posted good runs. In the end, it was a strong all-round performance by Pakistan Champions. Their batters scored big, and their bowlers backed it up well. It was a well-deserved win for Pakistan Champions.

ALSO READ: SCL 2025 Live streaming details: Where and how to watch Mis-e-Ainak Knights vs Boost Defenders match 13

Twitter reactions after PAKCH wins 9 match of WCL 2025

Victory for Pakistan by 31 runs! 🔥 A fantastic all-round effort led by the team gives them a well-deserved win against South Africa! #WCL2025 | #CatchEveryMatch | #DontStopStreaming | #tapmad pic.twitter.com/RRKmnnRZ0i

— tapmad (@tapmadtv) July 25, 2025

PAKISTAN CHAMPIONS BEAT SOUTH AFRICA LEGENDS BY 31 RUNS! 🇵🇰🔥

-Back-to-back wins for Pakistan in WCL pic.twitter.com/6rtcagysWU

— junaiz (@Cricjunaizdaily) July 25, 2025

Pakistan 🇵🇰 champions beat South Africa 🇿🇦 champions by 31 runs. Congratulations Pakistan 🇵🇰 champions #Pakistan #SouthAfrica #PAKvSA #WCL pic.twitter.com/EGxqDM2sav

— Fourth Umpire (@UmpireFourth) July 25, 2025

Yeah
Pakistan champions won the match
Alhamdulillah
Well played Malik sahab
Brilliant batting and fielding from Umar Amin
Great little Cameo from Asif Ali
Outstanding bowling from Hafeez tanvir raees imad and Malik#PakistanCricket@realshoaibmalik @MHafeez22 @simadwasim

— Team Shoaib Malik (@TeamSM_ft_Tahir) July 25, 2025

🚨PAKISTAN CHAMPIONS BEAT SOUTH AFRICA CHAMPIONS BY 31 RUNS!🔥 pic.twitter.com/R9aqr6mZMx

— Rayham (@RayhamUnplugged) July 25, 2025

S