AB de Villiers, often regarded as a living legend, bid farewell to international cricket without winning a major trophy. Despite coming close on several occasions, his story remained one of brilliance tinged with heartbreak. However, this time, he finally lifted a title albeit not in an official ICC tournament but in the “World Champions of Legends,” a competition featuring former cricket stars. Leading the South Africa Champions from the front, AB de Villiers scored three centuries in five matches to guide his team to victory.
The final was held yesterday at Edgbaston, England. Batting first, Pakistan Champions posted 195 runs for 5 wickets in 20 overs. In reply, AB de Villiers stole the show with a blazing century, ensuring the win with 19 balls and 9 wickets to spare.
His century in the final came off 47 balls, and he ended with a majestic 120 off 60 deliveries. He had earlier scored two other centuries in the tournament 41 balls against England on July 24 and 39 balls against Australia on July 27. Chasing 196, de Villiers was well supported by JP Duminy, who scored a quickfire 50 off 28 balls to seal the victory.
AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 431 runs and was named both Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament. While he never won a global trophy during his international career, this success might offer a touch of redemption.
This year has been particularly memorable for de Villiers. His longtime IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, finally clinched their maiden title something he couldn’t achieve during his playing days. Moreover, South Africa also won their first-ever global cricket title in a specific format in June, claiming the World Test Championship under Temba Bavuma’s captaincy.
In the final, Sharjeel Khan top-scored for Pakistan Champions with 76 off 44 balls, while Umar Amin contributed 36 off 19. Despite their total of 195, it proved insufficient against the firepower of de Villiers and Co. Saeed Ajmal took the only wicket for Pakistan during the chase.
Also Read:
অলিম্পিকে ফিরছে ক্রিকেট ১২৮ বছর পর, তবে বাছাইয়ে শঙ্কায় বাংলাদেশ-পাকিস্তান