South Africa stalwart and batting great AB de Villiers has surprised one and all by calling time on all forms of international cricket with immediate effect.
‘Mr. 360’ as he is called for his ability to engineer shots to all parts of the ground, De Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for South Africa over the course of a 14-year-long international career.
Having scored 8,675 runs in Tests and 9, 577 runs in ODIs, there have been some truly special and remarkable innings from the 34-year-old right-hander’s bat.
Here, we look at five of the best such innings from the South African across all formats in international cricket.
106 v AUSTRALIA – PERTH, 2008
FORMAT: TEST
Arguably one of the best Test innings De Villiers has played and it came during the early part of his career in 2008. Australia had set South Africa an improbable target of 414 runs to get for victory in the first Test at Perth.
Skipper Graeme Smith’s 108 and Hashim Amla’s 58 had given the visitors a strong start in their chase before both batsmen fell in quick succession. De Villiers stepped in at this moment and remained unbeaten on 106 (186) to take South Africa to a memorable Test victory Down Under.
Winning by six wickets ultimately, it was the second most successful chase in the history of Test cricket.
De Villiers played arguably his greatest Test innings at Perth.
144 v WEST INDIES – JOHANNESBURG, 2015
FORMAT: ODI
With South Africa batting first in this ODI, De Villiers walked into the crease at 241-1 in the 39th over. By the time he was walking back to the pavilion in the final over of the innings, he had already smashed an astonishing 144 runs from just 44 deliveries against a hapless West Indies attack.
The perfectionist was literally on fire as he smashed 16 sixes and nine boundaries during his 44-ball stay. He reached the three-figure mark in just 31 balls, breaking the record for the fastest ton set by Corey Anderson (36 balls).
South Africa ultimately ended up with 439 runs, the second-highest ODI total in history.
De Villiers was simply sensational in the record-breaking innings.
162 v WEST INDIES – SYDNEY, 2015
FORMAT: ODI
Less than a month after giving West Indies’ bowlers the hammering of their lives, De Villiers was it again against the same opposition at the World Cup in Australia. South Africa were batting first with ABD walking in at 146-3 in the 29th over.
De Villiers then lit up the Sydney Cricket Ground with some of the most outrageous shot-making as he powered his way to an unbeaten 162 runs off just 66 deliveries at a strike-rate of over 254.
Ultimately, South Africa put up 408-5 on the board on their way to a huge 257-run victory.
Even Gayle was stunned by what he had witnessed that day.
33 v AUSTRALIA – ADELAIDE, 2012
FORMAT: TEST
For all the attacking shots in his repertoire, De Villiers’ also possessed one of the most trusted defensive techniques in the game. He showed his mastery in the art of defence during a marathon knock at the Adelaide Oval.
With South Africa being set a target of 430 in the final innings of the Test, ABD walked in to bat at 45-3 which soon turned into 45-4 with Robin Peterson’s departure. De Villiers then battled for more than four hours as he dug in with a 220-ball stay the crease. No boundaries or sixes were scored by the batsman in an innings which fetched just 33 runs.
However, that dogged innings of sheer perseverance and mental fortitude played a big role in the Proteas scripting a great escape as the match ended in a draw.
De Villiers showed that his defensive technique is as good as anyone.
278 v PAKISTAN – ABU DHABI, 2010
FORMAT: TEST
South Africa were in all sorts of trouble in the first innings against Pakistan after being reduced to 33-3 at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi. That was when De Villiers took charge in the company of Jacques Kallis.
The stylish right-hander completely nullified the Pakistan attack before upping the tempo as he notched up an excellent double-century.
De Villiers batted for more than 10 hours in the heat of the UAE and ultimately went on to score 278 runs, his highest score in Test cricket. His marathon knock took South Africa to 584-7-d in the first innings after their disastrous start.
De Villiers is congratulated by Younis Khan after his mammoth knock.
