Reivindicação ousada de Dale Steyn: AB de Villiers aposentado ainda melhor que metade dos internacionais da IPL

Dubbed as “superhuman” in his playing days, AB de Villiers was known for doing things on a cricket field that defied belief. Years after his retirement, it seems nothing has changed. The 41-year-old turned back the clock in stunning fashion at the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, prompting former teammate Dale Steyn to claim that de Villiers is still “better than half the internationals at the IPL. Mind you, IPL is considered the toughest T20 tournament.

His latest heroics came in the WCL final in Birmingham, where de Villiers blasted an unbeaten 120 off 60 balls, guiding South Africa Champions to a nine-wicket win over the Pakistan Champions. Chasing 196, AB unfurled his trademark 360-degree strokeplay, smashing 18 boundaries, 10 fours and 8 sixes, while sharing an unbroken 125-run stand with JP Duminy. It was a fitting end to a tournament where de Villiers amassed 429 runs at an average of 143, including three centuries in five matches.

Vintage AB De Villiers lights up WCL 2025

De Villiers’ final heroics were the culmination of a dream run. He started the tournament with a blazing 116 off 51 balls against England*, followed it up with a 123 off 46 balls against Australia, and topped it with his unbeaten ton in the final. Fascinatingly, His WCL exploits came just months after celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title and South Africa’s World Test Championship triumph.

His IPL record of 5162 runs in 170 matches at an average of 39.7 and strike rate of 151.6 still eclipses many active stars like Ajinkya Rahane and Faf du Plessis. For Steyn, then, the conclusion was obvious: AB hasn’t lost his magic.