AB de Villiers, who has been in sensational form in the World Championship of Legends, scored an unbeaten 116 in 51 deliveries in a team total of 153 against England Champions.
Rolling back the years, de Villiers, who retired from international cricket in 2018, gave a glimpse of his prime, smashing 116 runs with the help of seven sixes on Thursday (July 24). Batting first, England had compiled 152 runs, with no batter scoring above 40. Opener Phil Mustard was the top run-scorer, making 39 in 33, while only two others crossed 20 in the innings.
In reply, Hashim Amla was the silent spectator as de Villiers went berserk from the very first ball. He hit two fours and a six in the very first over of the run chase, and reached his fifty in 19 deliveries. He needed 22 more deliveries to reach his century, achieving the landmark in the 11th over.
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Amla, at that point, was on 26 off 22 deliveries, eventually ending with 29 in 25, as de Villiers stole the show. Overall, South Africa Champions hit 19 fours - 15 of which came off de Villiers’ bat - and seven maximums, as they knocked off the required runs in 12.2 overs. De Villiers also batted with a strike rate of 227.45, taking apart the bowlers, four of whom went above 11 runs an over. Only Ajmal Shahzad and Ravi Bopara managed economies of under 10.
Earlier in the competition, the 41-year-old had also pulled off a stunning relay boundary catch against India. He is currently also the leading run-scorer in the WCL, a T20 tournament featuring retired cricketers from six international teams.
South Africa Champions also top the table, with three wins from as many matches, while Australia are in second place.
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