Cricket marked its resumption in South Africa with the inaugural 3 Team Cricket Solidarity Cup in Centurion and it was AB de Villiers who stole the show with his half-century for the Eagles on Saturday.
AB de Villiers, leading the Eagles, smashed 61 off just 24 balls with his half-century coming in just 21 balls against the Food Kites and Kingfishers. De Villiers's knock helped the Eagles reach 160 for 4 in their allotted 12 overs.
The former South Africa captain turned back the clock as he played some of his trademark shots around the ground during his bludgeoning knock before being dismissed by Anrich Nortje in the 11th over.
AB (51*) runs 3 and that's his half-century off 21 balls!
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) July 18, 2020
EAG 131-3 after 10.1 overs. #SolidarityCup #3TCricket #RainStartsPlay pic.twitter.com/TCMu1QJFEZ
The 3TC Solidarity Cup will see three teams compete in a single 36-over match with all the funds raised from the one-day tournament going towards the people in the game who have suffered financially because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
CSA had to postpone the match from its original date of June 27 as the government had not provided the necessary approval for training and match-day protocols.
However, the players returned to the nets on Monday and the match finally started on the 102nd anniversary of the birth of former president Nelson Mandela.
24 of South Africa's top cricketers are featuring in three teams -- Takealot Eagles, Mr D Food Kites and OUTsurance Kingfishers -- playing two halves in a single match.
Each team will bat for a dozen overs, facing six overs from each of their opponents' attacks. Bowlers will be allotted three overs each.
In the second half of their innings, teams will bat in order of the highest scores made in the first half. The last batter will stand, meaning they stay at the crease after the fall of the seventh wicket and until they are dismissed. If a side are seven-down by the end of the first half of their innings, the last batter resumes in the second half.
De Villiers is leading the Eagles while Reeza Hendricks and Temba Bavuma are captaining the Kingfishers and Kites. Kagiso Rabada and Quinton de Kock were originally slated to lead the two teams but they pulled out due to health concerns.