Watch: AB De Villiers Rolls Back The Years At 42, Slams 37-Ball Ton In Legends League

AB de Villiers recently spoke about how Virat Kohli might be achieving the peak of his career at the age of 37. Well, on Friday, the legendary South African batter showed that he has barely lost any of his skill despite having retired from international cricket more than eight years ago. Playing for South Africa Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2026, de Villiers rolled back the years, smashing a stunning 111* off just 40 balls to power his team to victory over Australia Champions.

In the match, Australia Champions put up a daunting total of 209/5 in 20 overs, helped by fiery knocks from D'Arcy Short, David Warner and Joe Burns. But AB de Villiers made the target of 210 look like a cakewalk.

Walking in at No. 3, de Villiers hammered six fours and 11 gigantic sixes as South Africa Champions chased down the target in just 15.2 overs. He reached his century in only 37 balls.

111* OFF 40, DE VILLIERS Catch all the action from the World Championship of Legends LIVE on FanCode #WCL #Cricket #ABdeVilliers #Sixes https://t.co/NyXFdVofoI

— FanCode (@FanCode) October 9, 2026

It was AB de Villiers at his vicious best as he dealt in sixes, slamming maximums over cover, long-off, long-on and multiple times over deep mid-wicket.

De Villiers received excellent support from opener Richard Levi, who made 62 off 29. But such was his destructive batting that the likes of Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy, who are also part of the South Africa Champions team, barely had to break a sweat.

AB DE VILLIERS. ABSOLUTE DESTRUCTION. The Superman of cricket puts on a breathtaking show, smashing 111 off just 40 balls, with 6 boundaries and 11 towering sixes! A masterclass in power-hitting as South Africa Champions cruise to an effortless 8-wicket victory, with ABD deservedly taking home the Player of the Match award. When AB is in the mood, records are just numbers! #abdevilliers #southafricachampions #wcl #wcl2026

— World Championship Of Legends (@WclLeague) October 9, 2026

This isn't the first time that the retired South African star, now 42, has lit up the WCL. In the 2025 edition, de Villiers finished as the highest run-scorer by a distance, scoring 429 runs in only six matches at a strike-rate of 220. He struck three centuries and also a fifty.

The fact that de Villiers continues to maintain such a level is truly remarkable, as it has been more than five years since he last played any form of professional franchise cricket (IPL 2021 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru).

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