AB de Villiers, arguably the greatest South African cricketer of all time, still enthralles even when he puts away his international gear. Known for his flexibility and capacity to reinvent himself in all forms, de Villiers accumulated 8,765 runs in 114 Tests, 9,577 in 228 ODIs, and 1,672 in 78 T20Is in a sparkling career that combined class, muscle, and creativity.
Now at the helm of South Africa Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, the ex-Proteas captain recently revealed his all-time World XI during a video uploaded by presenter Shefali Bagga on Instagram. His choices raised eyebrows and controversy, particularly considering the high-profile players he omitted from his squad.
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Along with one of the two Indians who chopped, his long-time friend and great of the current era, Virat Kohli, the dependable MS Dhoni, who was positioned at No. 7 to handle the wicket-keeping responsibilities, was the other. AB de Villiers’ top order consisted of Graeme Smith and Matthew Hayden as openers, with Ricky Ponting in the middle at No. 3. Class reigned supreme in the middle-order in the shape of Kohli, Steve Smith, and Kane Williamson.
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For the bowling unit, he chose two fast spearheads in Mitchell Johnson and Mohammad Asif, whereas the spin responsibility was left to the legendary pair of Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan. Notably, there wasn’t an all-rounder in the XI, so the likes of Kohli or Williamson may have to pitch in with the ball. Glenn McGrath was made the 12th man.
Interestingly, AB de Villiers omitted some of Indian icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah. None of the Englishmen or West Indian cricketers made it to his dream XI as well.
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Despite a humble beginning in WCL 2025, when he was bowled cheaply against West Indies Champions, AB returned in style. In the July 22 match against India Champions, he hit a scorching unbeaten 63 from 30 balls, with his team winning an 88-run (DLS method) win at Northampton’s County Ground.
