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LEICESTER: AB de Villiers jaw-dropping century powered South Africa Champions to a massive win over England Champions in the eighth fixture of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 here at Grace Road on Thursday.
Chasing a modest target of 153 runs, the South Africa Champions secured victory effortlessly in just 12.2 overs.
In pursuit of the target, South Africa’s Champions De Villiers piled on misery on English bowlers.
He forged an unbeaten 153-run partnership with Hashim Amla to lead his home team in a stellar chase. The right-hander was the primary aggressor while Amla played a supportive role.
The Proteas scored 80 runs by the end of the powerplay, helped by a 21-run over from Liam Plunkett. De Villiers reached his half-century in just 19 balls, while Hashim Amla played cautiously, scoring 14 runs off 17 balls.
The 41-year-old continued to take on England bowlers to the cleaners with South Africa Champions scoring 128 at the halfway mark of the innings. He reached his century off 41 balls with a single on the second ball of the 10th over.
With victory evident, De Villiers continued to charge the bowlers, eventually resulting in an emphatic statement victory for the South African champions.
AB de Villiers scored 116 runs off just 51 balls, hitting seven sixes and 15 fours. The right-handed batter’s explosive innings was so remarkable that in his 153-run partnership, Hashim Amla could only manage 29 runs off 25 balls.
Earlier, the England Champions set the South Africa Champions a target of 153 runs, thanks to the South Africa Champions’ clinical bowling effort.
For England Champions, Phil Mustard top-scored with 39 off 33 balls with the aid of three fours and a six, whereas skipper Eoin Morgan made 20 from 14 balls, striking two fours and a maximum.
For the South Africa Champions, Imran Tahir and Wayne Parnell took wickets each.
The ongoing WCL 2025 is contested across four English venues: Edgbaston (Birmingham), County Ground (Northampton), Grace Road (Leicester), and Headingley (Leeds).
Six teams, India, Pakistan, Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies, will face off in a round-robin format, with the top four teams qualifying for the WCL 2025 semi-finals.
The ongoing WCL 2025 marks the second installment of the tournament, following the inaugural tournament held in 2024, where the Indian team, led by the legendary Yuvraj Singh, emerged as champions.
Playing XIs
England: Phil Mustard (wk), Ian Bell, Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Ravi Bopara, Tim Ambrose, Samit Patel, Liam Plunkett, Ajmal Shahzad, Stuart Meaker, Dimitri Mascarenhas
South Africa: Jacques Rudolph, Sarel Erwee, AB de Villiers (c), Jean-Paul Duminy, JJ Smuts, Morne van Wyk (wk), Wayne Parnell, Chris Morris, Hardus Viljoen, Duanne Olivier, Imran Tahir
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