AB de Villiers hit an unbeaten 111 off 40 balls against Australia Champions in Sharjah on Friday, reaching his century in 37 deliveries. South Africa Champions chased 210 in 15.4 overs and won by eight wickets with 26 balls to spare.
The 42-year-old captain hit 11 sixes and six fours at a strike rate of 277.5 and was named Player of the Match. The defending champions are playing the third season of the World Championship of Legends in the UAE.
The 37-ball hundred is the second-fastest in WCL history. Only Ben Dunk has gone quicker, with 35 balls, and Dunk was keeping wicket for Australia as de Villiers came within two balls of his record. The innings also beat de Villiers’ own previous tournament best of 39 balls.
The sharper number sits inside the innings. Of his 111 runs, 90 came in boundaries. He ran just 21.
The scorecard shows a 37-ball hundred. What it hides is how a 42-year-old body rewrites the way a batter builds a chase.
A week before the match, de Villiers spoke about what coming back had cost him physically.
“So, the muscle memory is still there, but physically it wasn’t so easy.”
AB de Villiers, IANS interaction arranged by FanCode, 2 October 2026
AB de Villiers wins the Player of the Match award for his outstanding century in the run chase against Australia Champions! 🏅🔥
#Cricket #ABD #WCL https://t.co/QyfKMNQcFQ
— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) October 9, 2026
Insider Read
The hands go last. The legs go first. At 42 you still pick length early and swing through the line, because that lives in muscle memory. What you cannot do is turn ones into twos for 15 overs of a 210 chase without paying for it at the end.
So a smart veteran changes the currency. A six costs one swing and zero metres. Running only 21 runs in a 111 is not luck. It is a batter taking the running out of the chase so his legs are still fresh when he needs one more clean hit.
How South Africa Chased 210
Australia Champions won the toss and posted 209/5. Richard Levi took the early pressure off the chase, and his 127-run stand with de Villiers for the second wicket settled it.
| Player | Team | Figures |
|---|---|---|
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 111* (40), 11 sixes, 6 fours |
| D’Arcy Short | Australia | 66 (25) |
| Richard Levi | South Africa | 62 (29) |
| David Warner | Australia | 48 (37) |
| JP Duminy | South Africa | 27* |
| Hardus Viljoen | South Africa | 3 wickets |
| Kane Richardson | Australia | 2 wickets |
Also Read:
