AB De Villiers’ stunning century leads South Africa to crushing win over England in WCL

AB de Villiers produced a batting masterclass to guide South Africa Champions to a dominant 10-wicket victory against England Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 at Leicester on Thursday.

After winning the toss, South Africa chose to bowl first—a decision that paid off well as they restricted England to 152/6 in their 20 overs.

England’s opener Phil Mustard top-scored with 39 off 33 balls, hitting one six and three fours. Samit Patel added a quick 24 from 16 deliveries, while captain Eoin Morgan contributed 20 off 14 balls with one six and two fours. However, England’s batting lineup failed to build on the start and lost wickets at regular intervals. Tim Ambrose (19), Liam Plunkett (13), Moeen Ali (10), Ravi Bopara (7), and Ian Bell (7) could not make a big impact.

For South Africa, Imran Tahir and Wayne Parnell picked up two wickets each, while Chris Morris and Johannes Oliver took one apiece.

In reply, South Africa Champions made light work of the chase as openers AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla remained unbeaten to seal a convincing win.

De Villiers was in brilliant form, scoring 116 not out from just 51 balls. His explosive innings included 15 boundaries and seven sixes, entertaining the crowd with his classic strokeplay. Amla supported him well with a steady 29* off 25 balls, hitting four boundaries.

South Africa reached the target in just 12.2 overs without losing a wicket, handing England a heavy defeat and underlining their strength in the tournament.

With this win, South Africa Champions moved to the top of the points table with six points from three matches. They will next face Pakistan Champions at the same venue today, Friday.