Once in every generation comes an athlete who redefines the meaning of the game. They are born with an abundance of talent, immense amount of natural ability, and they could do things that others could only dream about. Roger Federer is that athlete for Tennis, Tiger Woods for Golf, and for Cricket, it is Mr. 360 – Abraham Benjamin de Villiers.
Ab De Villiers Details:
FULL NAME |
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers |
BIRTHDAY & PLACE |
February 17, 1984 Pretoria |
AGE |
36 years |
| NATIONAL SIDE | South Africa |
| BATTING STYLE | Right Handed |
BOWLING |
Right-arm medium |
| BATTING RANK | Test – NA, ODI – NA, World Cup – NA, T20I – NA, IPL – NA, CL – NA |
| BOWLING RANK | Test – NA, ODI – NA, World Cup – NA, T20I – NA, IPL – NA, CL – NA |
| TEAMS PLAYED | South Africa, Africa XI, Northerns, South Africa A, Titans, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, South Africa Under-19, Rangpur Riders, Tridents, Lahore Qalandars, Pretoria Mavericks, Tshwane Spartans |
MAN OF THE MATCH |
Test – 5, ODI – 27, World Cup – 5, T20I – 7, IPL – 20, CL – 0, |
CAREER SPAN |
[Test, 2004 – 2018], [ODI, 2005 – 2018], [World Cup, 2007 – 2015], [T20I, 2006 – 2017], [IPL, 2008 – 2021], [CL, 2011 – 2013], |
AB de Villiers is a former South African cricketer who captained the South Africa team in all formats of the game. Known to be one of the best batsmen of his generation, de Villiers was born in Warmbad in South Africa. He used to play cricket from an early age, and also excelled in other sports such as golf, rugby, and tennis.
Also read: Did CSA offer AB de Villiers to lead South Africa? AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith Reveals the Truth
He first came to popularity in April 2008, after he scored a double century in a match against India, becoming the first South African to have ever done so. He scored a total of 217 runs, which has been the highest so far in his career.
He holds many other records as well including the fastest Test century by a South African and also the fastest T20 50 by a South African. He plays in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a popular T20 cricket league contested in India. He has played for Delhi Daredevils and ended his IPL career while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Besides being a cricketer, he is also a proficient singer and guitarist. He has released a bilingual pop album named ‘Maak Jou Drome Waar’. He is also a football enthusiast and an avid supporter of Manchester United. De Villiers has been involved in charity works as well.
Ab De Villiers Career Statistics
Test Debut |
South Africa v England at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, December 17, 2004 |
Last Test |
South Africa vs Australia at Johannesburg – March 30 – April 03, 2018 |
ODI Debut |
South Africa v England at Springbok Park, Bloemfontein, February 2, 2005 |
Last ODI |
South Africa v India at Centurion Park, Centurion, February 16, 2018 |
T20 Debut |
South Africa v Australia at New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, February 24, 2006 |
Last T20 |
South Africa v Bangladesh at North West Cricket Stadium, Potchefstroom, October 29, 2017 |
Childhood & Early-Age Life
- Abraham Benjamin de Villiers was born on 17th February 1984, in Warmbad which is situated in the Limpopo region of South Africa. His father’s name is Abraham B de Villiers and his mother is Millie de Villiers. He is the youngest of three brothers.
- Although his father is a doctor, he was very enthusiastic about sports and therefore he used to encourage his sons to take part in sports as well. De Villiers did his schooling from Afrikaans Boys’ High School, in Pretoria, South Africa. Along with cricket, he used to excel in golf, rugby, swimming and tennis as well.
Ab De Villiers Career
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Despite being skilled in several sports, AB de Villiers finally made up his mind to pursue a career in cricket. He started playing for the Titans in 2003 and played for Carrickfergus Cricket Club in Northern Ireland as an overseas player from the next year.
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In December 2004, he made his test debut against England. Although he was just twenty years of age, his performance was well appreciated. Over the years, he gained a reputation as an outstanding fielder as well.
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He came to attention after taking part in the 2007 World Cup. However, his performance in the tournament wasn’t very remarkable and even received criticism. Still his team managed to enter the semi-finals where they lost to Australia.
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AB de Villiers gained a lot of fame and reputation the following year, after he scored a double century in a match against India, becoming the first South African to have ever done so. He managed to make 217 runs and yet remain not out.
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In 2008-09, he played his first test series in Perth, Australia, where he helped his team achieve victory. This was also South Africa’s first win in Australia after fifteen years.
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His performance in the 2011 World Cup was also remarkable. He scored two centuries during the tournament, becoming the first South African to have achieved this feat. Despite his brilliant performance, South Africa was beaten at the quarterfinals by New Zealand.
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Later in 2011, he was appointed captain of the One Day International team. After leading his team to several test as well as ODI victories, AB de Villiers again showed a brilliant performance during the 2015 World Cup. He became the highest run scorer for the South African team. Under his captaincy, his team managed to enter the semi-finals. However, like the previous World Cup, his team was once again beaten by New Zealand.
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After leading his team to several victories, in January 2017, he chose to rule himself out of most of the test matches that South Africa would take part in the year. He resumed playing in early 2018 and participated in the Indian tour to South Africa.
- In the second match of the ensuing test series against Australia, he scored his 22nd test century and helped his team win the match by six wickets.
AB De Villiers Retirement
- AB de Villiers announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket on 23 May 2018, while he was still at the top of his game.
- Mr. 360 AB De Villiers announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on November 19, 2021.
- ABD ends his 17-year career, which saw him play in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for the Proteas.
- On playing his 144 test matches he scored 8,765 runs at an average of 50.66. He has also taken two Test wickets. His highest score was 278 not out and also has 22 centuries against his name.
- De Villiers has played 228 ODIs and scored 9577 runs at an impressive average of 53.50. His highest score in ODIs was 176 at a strike rate of 101.09. He has scored 25 centuries in ODIs. He made his ODI debut in 2005 against England.
- In 78 T20 internationals, he has scored 1672 runs at an average of 26.12. He made his T20 international debut in 2006 against Australia.
- AB de Villiers has played 156 matches for RCB and scored 4,491 runs. He is the second all-time leading run-scorer behind Virat Kohli and holds the second and third-highest individual run total in RCB history with 133* against Mumbai Indians (in 2015) and 129* against Gujarat Lions (in 2016).
Awards & Records
- On 18 January 2015, De Villiers scored both the fastest fifty and the fastest century by a batsman in One Day International cricket, off 16 balls and 31 balls respectively and eventually scoring 149 runs off 44 balls in 59.5 minutes against West Indies.
- Throughout his career, AB de Villiers has won numerous ‘Player of the series’ and ‘Man of the Match’ Awards.
- He is a three-time ICC ODI player of the year, winning the award in 2010, 2014 and 2015.
- Some of the most significant records he has made in his career are the fastest half-century and century in an ODI, fastest 150 in an ODI, most sixes in an ODI, and fastest player to reach 9000 runs in ODI.
- He is the first South African to score two centuries in a single World Cup, and also the first South African to score a double century against India.
- In November 2020, de Villiers was nominated for the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade, and the award for ODI cricketer of the decade.
Ab De Villiers Personal Life
- De Villiers proposed to his girlfriend, Danielle Swart, at the Taj Mahal in 2012, after five years of dating.
- The couple got married on 30 March 2013, in Bela-Bela, South Africa. They have two sons and one daughter.
- He is a devout Christian, and has spoken about how his faith in Jesus is crucial to his life and career. He has also described the Bible as his favorite book.
- He is also an accomplished guitar player and a singer. In 2010, he released a bilingual pop album entitled Maak Jou Drome Waar with his friend and South African singer Ampie du Preez.
- He is a football enthusiast and a huge fan of the Manchester United Football Club.
- His autobiography was released in September 2016.
Batting, Wicket Keeping, and Fielding (Catches)
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s | Ct | St |
| Test | 114 | 191 | 8765 | 278* | 50.66 | 54.51 | 22 | 46 | 1024 | 64 | 222 | 5 |
| ODI | 228 | 218 | 9577 | 176 | 53.5 | 101.09 | 25 | 53 | 840 | 204 | 176 | 5 |
| T20I | 78 | 75 | 1672 | 79* | 26.12 | 135.16 | 0 | 10 | 140 | 60 | 65 | 7 |
| T20 | 340 | 320 | 9424 | 133* | 37.24 | 150.13 | 4 | 69 | 753 | 436 | 230 | 18 |
Bowling Performance
| Format | Mat | Inns | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Test | 114 | 5 | 104 | 2 | 2/49 | 2/49 | 52 | 3.05 | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODI | 228 | 9 | 202 | 7 | 2/15 | 2/15 | 28.85 | 6.31 | 27.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| T20I | 78 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| T20 | 340 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
