WCL 2025: AB De Villiers rolls back the years with century as South Africa beats Pakistan in final
South Africa's opener and captain, De Villiers, remained unbeaten at 120 off just 60 balls, while JP Duminy struck a fifty as they chased down 196 with 19 balls to spare.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first.
Sharjeel Khan, the first centurion in the Pakistan Super League, gave his side a strong start, scoring a 44-ball 76, also pairing up with former Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik for a valuable 72-run partnership.
Meanwhile, Hardus Viljoen and Wayne Parnell were the pick of the bowlers for South Africa, with the duo taking two scalps each. While Viljoen removed the openers, Parnell sent the middle-order packing, including skipper Mohammad Hafeez.
De Villiers then ramped up the chase with opener Hashim Amla, hitting two sixes and a four in the second over. He hit 16 more boundaries and had two valuable partnerships with Amla and Duminy — 72 runs and 125 runs respectively — to clinch the title.
With over 429 runs in the tournament, including three centuries, De Villiers deservedly won the Player of the Tournament.
The last time the two sides met, in the group stage, Pakistan had won the match by 31 runs. This time around, when it mattered the most, South Africa Champions had the last laugh.
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