South African great questions WTC format even after Proteas' historic 2025 final victory

AB de Villiers has raised questions about the ICC WTC cycle and suggested changes for it, even after South Africa won the 2025 WTC final by beating defending champions Australia at Lord's. The former South African skipper wants the tournament to be scheduled in such a way that it provides a fair chance to every team. The former right-handed batters want it to be scheduled on a four-year cycle like the limited-overs World Cup, where every team gets a chance to play the other teams.

South Africa played 12 matches, whereas England played the highest number of games (22 games) out of the 9 teams during the 2023-25 WTC cycle. The Proteas didn't play any series against England or Australia in the earlier cycle and played just 2 tests at home.

"This moment won't be lost. But, yes to a certain extent something needs to be done. I saw the schedule that came out for the next cycle of the WTC and there is an improvement, but i still will there's work that still needs to be done there to just get it as consistent as fair as possible and as fair as possible for all for all test playing nations. You want to get to that final feeling like you have played against all these nations. May be a four year cycle would be nice. We have done that in the past with one day internationals, so why not in test cricket ? It would make sense and it would give the organisers just so much time to get a really fair and, well balanced system out there," He told BBC Sport on Tuesday

De Villiers praised the South African team for finally winning an ICC trophy after 27 years saying that De Villiers said that although it would be a long time until their next Test match, there was no doubt it wouldn't be forgotten. He expressed complete confidence that the Proteas had stirred the emotions of South African cricket fans and that they would patiently wait for the next encounter. South Africa start their next ICC test cycle against Pakistan in October when they face them in a two-match test series.

"It's a long time until our next test match, but there's np doubt it won't be forgotten. I have absolutely no doubt the Proteas have sort of stirred the emotions of the South African cricketing fans and they will patiently wait for that next encounter," De Villiers said 

See Also: Top 5 captains of World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle

De Villiers overjoyed after South Africa and RCB end their wait for trophies

AB de Villiers is overjoyed as both a former South Africa  cricketer and a former RCB player. South Africa’s long wait for an ICC trophy finally ended after 27 years with a memorable victory over Australia in the 2025 World Test Championship final at Lord’s. The emotional win marked a historic moment for the Proteas, sparking celebrations across the cricketing world and bringing immense pride to those who had long been a part of the team’s journey.

Adding to the joy, Royal Challengers Bangalore, the IPL franchise de Villiers represented for years, also broke their title drought. After 18 years of heartbreaks, RCB clinched their maiden IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings in the final on June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. For de Villiers, witnessing both his national team and IPL side finally lifting major trophies made 2025 a truly unforgettable and fulfilling year.