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Cricket PlayersAB de Villiers rolls back the years, gives South Africa dramatic last-ball win to reach WCL 2025 final
AB de Villiers is back like he never left, not just with bat but also in the field, where he looks like a man half his age at 41!
If any more evidence was needed of AB de Villiers still belonging on a professional cricket pitch even at 41 years old, the ongoing World Championship of Legends continues to see one of the great players of history at his complete best. The Protean legend made a match-winning fielding play on the last ball of South Africa Champions’ semifinal victory over Australia, sending them through to the final with the narrowest. 1-run win.
With Australia having done well to stay in range of South Africa, Dan Christian was on strike with 3 runs needed off the final ball, Nathan Coulter-Nile his partner at the other end. Christian couldn’t do anything except squeeze out Wayne Parnell’s final-ball yorker and attempt to sprint a two — but he hit it to the wrong fielder.
De Villiers covered the ground with lightning pace from long-on, getting across in the blink of an eye firing in a pinpoint accurate throw right on top of the stumps. Coulter-Nile was left well short, nowhere close to making his crease, tying the match, and sending it to a bowl-out.
AB de Villiers tops scoring charts so far
De Villiers has continued to be absolutely electric in the field through WCL 2025, taking a couple of spectacular catches showing athleticism and alertness that belies having spent four years away from the sport following his retirement. If that wasn’t enough, his batting has been on a planet of its own this tournament, seeing him hit two centuries and score 300+ runs, almost double of the players behind him as he leads the pack.
While his batting didn’t come good in the semifinal, South Africa still put on 186/8 in their first innings at Edgbaston, thanks to a fiery partnership between JJ Smuts and Morne van Wyk, who scored 76 off just 35. In South Africa’s bowling innings, Australia got off to a great start thanks to openers Chris Lynn and Shaun Marsh, but Parnell dismissed both in his opening burst before returning to defend 14 off the final over.
De Villiers, who is captaining the South Africa Champions team, will try to lead his team to the title against Pakistan, who were unbeaten in the group stage and progressed to the final after receiving a walkover in their semifinal.
