SAC VS PNC T20

Right then, that is it from the 2nd season of the World Championship of Legends and it is the South African Champions who reign supreme in 2025. Hope you enjoyed our coverage and hopefully, we will be back next year to bring you more action from WCL. For now, it is goodbye, but you can always switch tabs and keep an eye on our coverage of other games. Cheers!

Only one thing left to do now and AB de Villiers picks up that shiny Trophy and joins his teammates at the podium. The Proteas rejoice and celebrate as they pose for a team photograph and it has truly been an incredible couple of months for South Africa in terms of winning big trophies in cricket.

AB de Villiers also collects the winner's cheque before having a word with Simon Doull. He starts by saying that he started the tournament with a hamstring niggle and there were other injuries as well and even before this game. Reckons that he couldn't field today but managed to contribute and goes on to applaud his players as they have made the players of South Africa proud back home. Mentions that they are all grown up now and they play hard but have mutual respect for each other. Still, at times, the past memories come out in crunch matches like the semifinal against Australia. Adds that he has been pushed by his children to play a bit more and hence, started working hard for this tournament and having his special over here made it extra special.

Up next, the players of South Africa Champions come up one by one to collect their tournament-winning mementos, which are wristwatches. They start with Hashim Amla and end with the skipper, AB de Villiers.

Next up, the Pakistan Champions skipper, Mohammad Hafeez, collects the runners-up cheque and trophy and comes down for a chat with Simon Doull. He says it was a great tournament for his team until the finals. He feels it was a great first half for them as they got the required runs on the board, but then ABD got a 100 for SA and that was exactly what they wanted to avoid. He adds that there were some catches dropped by his team and it would have helped if the boys had hung on to those catches. He finishes by saying it has been a great tournament and he thanks the sponsors and organizers for putting together this tournament for the retired players.

Guess what? AB de Villiers is adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH & THE PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT! A stellar season overall and a winning ton in the Final to cap it all off from 'Mr.360.'

First up, the match officials - the referees and the umpires, receive their mementos.

The Presentation ceremony...

Wayne Parnell now reflects on the tournament. Wayne says that he tried to slowly get into the tournament and gives a shoutout to their physio who managed to keep them fit. Adds that he's played some county cricket and knows the different things that work on different grounds in England and adds that the crowd was amazing in the Final as well, even though most of them were supporting Pakistan. Goes on to credit all the sporting staff and everyone involved who managed to make the tournament a success.

Imran Tahir is next up. Imran says that he is very proud and wants to thank the supporters back home, even the Springboks (the South African Rugby team), who wished them well. Adds that it is a special feeling to play for South Africa and he is happy that they made the Final and won it as well. Mentions that he got into it late and wants to inspire the younger generation by keeping motivated and not give up his place that easily. Goes on to say that now he mostly plays in Guyana and tries to tell the kids not to let the opportunity they get go to waste and even if its a club game, he wants to play like he is playing for his country. Adds that it is a privilege to play with such legends and hails AB de Villiers as the greatest player he has seen and says that ABD is so passionate and committed to the game.

JP Duminy is the first one in for a chat with Simon Doull. He says it’s good to get over the line. He mentions that he was scratchy in the first 15 balls of his innings today, but once he found the middle he got better and found his rhythm. He also tells that he had the best seat in the house watching AB de Villiers bat. About keeping himself fit and preparing for the tournament he says that he did put some work in as his body was not in shape. He adds that he had some indoor nets too. About the tournament he says it has been great fun and it feels great to get the win today.

Let's now hear from a few of the South African players...

Earlier in the game, Mohammad Hafeez won the toss and opted to put runs on the board in a Final. His decision seemed like the right one as Sharjeel Khan kept his best for the last game and hit a fluent 76. However, Kamran Akmal got out early and even the skipper and Shoaib Malik couldn't get going. The likes of Asif Ali and Umar Amin had to fight back hard in the death overs in order to take Pakistan Champions close to the 200-run mark. As for South Africa Champions, their bowlers struggled largely as well but they did manage to pick up wickets which stemmed the flow of runs to an extent.

Pakistan Champions will feel they had the runs on the board but they have let things slip with the ball and in the field as well. A spotless record up until the final but it didn't matter. Rumman Raees and Saeed Ajmal bowled well in patches but the rest of the bowlers could neither get wickets nor could they stop the flow of the boundaries. A tough call that went against them might not have mattered much as they dropped AB de Villiers once again and the sheer amount of boundaries conceded, along with hardly any dot balls, was the real difference.

197 is never an easy chase and in a Final, it's all the more difficult but South Africa Champions never looked like fumbling the chase. Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers batted like they have done so many times in the past and laid the foundation with a stellar stand of 72 runs. AB de Villiers was fighting with injuries but he didn't waste any opportunity to pick up a boundary and was just relentless. ABD brought up a third century in 4 matches as he remained unbeaten on 120 off 60 balls and even at the end, he could have easily gone off but didn't and wanted to be there when the winning runs were hit. JP Duminy started slowly but put on the afterburners later on and finished things off in a stellar fashion. The stand between ABD and Duminy remained unbeaten on 125 runs.

We can see what it means to AB de Villiers and the entire South African team as 'Mr.360,' is greeted by his kids and his wife can't stop smiling as well. What an English summer the Proteas have had. First, the WTC Final win and now, they are champions of the WCL as well. Aaron Phangiso leads the celebration for his side and they do deserve it so much.

SOUTH AFRICA CHAMPIONS WIN WCL 2025! What a turnaround for the Proteas, a team that looked undercooked in the 2024 edition but with the addition of AB de Villiers and the change in mindset, they have become a real force in this tournament. Spare a thought for Pakistan Champions as they have probably been the most consistent team throughout the two seasons so far, but unfortunately, it is back-to-back losses in the Final for them.

SIX! JP Duminy finishes things off in style and brings up his FIFTY as well in just 28 balls. Full ball on off, Duminy stays leg side of the ball and lofts it brilliantly over wide long of for a biggie. South Africa Champions have done it as they win the WCL Final by 9 wickets and with plenty of balls to spare as well.