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AB de Villiers finally wins a trophy as South Africa Champions crush Pakistan in WCL final
AB de Villiers has finally lifted an international trophy. The South African legend, who never won an ICC or IPL title during his career, helped the South Africa Champions win the World Championship of the Legends (WCL) 2025. In the final played at Edgbaston, Birmingham, his team defeated the Pakistan Champions by a big margin to lift the cup.
AB de Villiers helps South Africa Champions win title
ABD was in amazing form and smashed a quickfire hundred in the final. Battling a hamstring injury, he still made 100 runs in just 47 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes. His powerful hitting made chasing 196 look easy. Even though Hashim Amla got out early, De Villiers was well supported by former Protea skipper JP Duminy, who scored a half-century and hit the winning runs.
Earlier in the match, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first. Thanks to Sharjeel Khan's 76 off 44 balls, they reached 195/5 in 20 overs. But their bowlers couldn't defend the total. Only Saeed Ajmal took a wicket, while South Africa chased it down comfortably and won by 9 wickets.
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This win gives AB de Villiers his long-awaited trophy and a happy ending to a memorable tournament. De Villiers was in outstanding form throughout the tournament, making an impact with both the bat and in the field. He rolled back the clock with some brilliant catches and run-outs.
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Cometh the hour, cometh Superman 🦸♂️
Chasing a daunting 196, AB de Villiers battled a hamstring injury to take South Africa over the line in the #WCL2025 final 🔥#ABdeVilliers #SAChampions pic.twitter.com/yiy1WulA57 — FanCode (@FanCode) August 2, 2025
PCB bans usage of the Pakistan name in private leagues
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday announced a blanket ban on its players' participation in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament organisers of being 'biased' and lacking sporting integrity.
The decision follows a sequence of events in which the Indian team forfeited both their group-stage clash and semifinal against Pakistan, citing the country's stand against bilateral sporting ties with the neighbouring country after the gruesome Pahalagam terror attack.
'The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL),' the PCB said in a statement after its board of governors meeting held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi.
(With agency inputs)
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