AB de Villiers’ return to cricket proved to be a thoroughly triumphant one, as he struck his third century of the World Championship of Legends 2025 to lead South Africa Champions to the title over Pakistan at Edgbaston.
It has been a truly incredible campaign with the bat for de Villiers, who returned to a competitive cricket field with his first appearance since his retirement in 2021. In his first go on the masters’ tour, de Villiers wrapped things up with an unbeaten 120* off just 60 deliveries, opening the batting and helping the Proteas chase down a target of 196 in just 16.5 overs.
De Villiers’ innings consisted of 12 boundaries and 7 sixes, flaying the ball all across the Edgbaston pitch as he showed he would still fit in at the highest level of the sport if he really desired. To make matters even more special, de Villiers struggled with an injury through the late stages of the innings, limping towards the end but guiding his team home.
JP Duminy came in at number three and also played a very able hand, scoring 50* off just 28 deliveries to seal a nine-wicket victory with a six over long-off.
De Villiers puts entire tournament to the sword
De Villiers had an incredible campaign, scoring 429 runs in just 6 matches, comfortably leading the run-scoring charts and in a completely different universe compared to the other players in the tournament. He rightly picked up the honours of being the player of the tournament after a remarkable showing right through the tournament.
It was a strong batting performance by Pakistan, guided by Sharjeel Khan’s 76(44) opening the batting, with Wayne Parnell starring for South Africa once again with ball as he took a pair of wickets. However, it was never close for the team in Pakistan’s bowling effort as de Villiers and Duminy laid into the bowlers with no remorse, completing the chase with 19 deliveries to spare.
De Villiers finished the group stage of the tournament with 61* against India followed by 116* against England and 123 against Australia, making this his third century in his last four innings of the tournament. To pair with his incredible batting, de Villiers also made an impact in the field, as his last-ball run-out against Australia in the semifinal ensured the Proteas reached the final in the first place.
