AB de Villiers birthday: Memorable performances of Mr. 360 in cricket
AB de Villiers: three words that may elicit strong emotions from cricket fans all around the world and instil dread in even the finest bowlers.
AB de Villiers (Photo/X)
NEW DELHI: AB de Villiers, one of the best South African hitters to have ever been born, is turning 40 on Saturday. He is a fan favourite all over the world, and his performances have revolutionized the sport.
AB de Villiers: three words that may elicit strong emotions from cricket fans all around the world and instil dread in even the finest bowlers.
Whether it's batting a whole day without worrying about scoring a boundary to preserve a Test match or reverse-sweeping a 90 mph delivery for a six in white-ball cricket, de Villiers has done it all smoothly and very frequently on the cricket pitch.
105* vs Chennai Super Kings (2009)
AB de Villiers made his presence felt in this performance, as the South African batsman slammed 105 runs off 54 deliveries against MS Dhoni's CSK team. He scored 20 runs in the 19th over of the first inning and finished with a hundred on the last ball of the last over. De Villiers' century helped Delhi Capitals win the match in Durban against Chennai Super Kings.
129* vs Gujarat Lions (2016)
A match that will be remembered forever in the Indian Premier League, as RCB scored a magnificent 248/3 in 20 overs, thanks to AB de Villiers' 129 and Virat Kohli's 109. The two swashbucklers ran wild and formed one of the best IPL combos in history. De Villiers scored an unbeaten 129 off 52 deliveries as RCB reached 248/3. Gujarat Lions were bowled out for 104. Certainly a great day for de Villiers and Kohli.
Highest partnerships for any wicket: In IPL history, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have had two of the biggest run-yielding partnerships.
In IPL 2016, the tandem scored the most against the Gujarat Lions. They had a 229-run stand, with De Villiers hitting 12 sixes and ten fours. During the match, he scored 129 runs off 52 balls with a strike rate of 248.07, while Kohli scored 109 off 55 balls.
89* vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (2014)
One of South Africa's finest pacers Dale Steyn faced the flamboyant de Villiers. The batter may not have reached a century, but his undefeated 89 helped RCB win the match. The South African batter hit 50 off 23 balls and finally outsmarted Steyn to enable RCB to win the game.
33 vs Australia (2012, Tests)
ABD's performance against Australia in Adelaide in 2012 was unprecedented, as he blasted balls all over the ground. The hosts put SA to chase down 430, and they were 77/4 before the action resumed on the final day.
On day 5, Faf du Plessis was aggressive, but De Villiers remained cool at the other end, scoring 33 runs off 220 deliveries. De Villiers' innings remains one of the slowest in Tests in the last 20 years.