AB de Villiers helped South Africa Champions to victory in the second edition of the World Championship of Legends, earning Player of the Tournament honours after scoring his third century of the tournament, this one coming in the final against Pakistan, leading to a dominant nine-wicket win.
After the victory, as the South African team got ready to lift the trophy, it was Wayne Parnell who stole the limelight by performing the viral ‘aura farming’ dance that has taken social media by storm.
Parnell stepped up to the forefront of the hoardings declaring the Proteas as champions while the teammates were lined up behind him. He performed famous steps of the viral ‘aura farming’ dance, and the rest of the team followed his lead, performing rowing pushes behind him. The dance was inspired by an immensely shared video of a young boy energetically performing the dance for Indonesia’s Pacu Jalur boat race festival.
AB de Villiers defines ‘Aura Framing’ with stunning comeback
‘Aura farming’ is a meme term used to describe moments when someone does something incredible with effortless style, a phrase that perfectly sums up AB de Villiers’ cricketing legacy. But it was on his return to competitive cricket that this truly stood out. The South African legend made a stunning comeback, scoring three centuries and finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with more than twice the runs of the next best player, making him look a class apart on the field.
Despite running with a hamstring injury throughout his innings, de Villiers easily chased down this total with 19 balls left in the final, scoring 120 not out off just 60 balls in a 196-run chase against Pakistan. coming in to bat at number three, JP Duminy provided de Villiers with outstanding support, hitting the game-winning six and finishing with an undefeated fifty runs off twenty-eight balls.
AB de Villiers retired from all format of cricket in 2021
Even though he had retired in 2021, four years prior, de Villiers was the tournament’s top performer and seemed to be in top form. Wayne Parnell, who claimed 11 wickets and produced crucial spells during the knockout stages, made a compelling case to be the tournament’s best bowler.