Brilliant. Superb. Magnificent. Spectacular. Watching the marvel of AB de Villiers brings many superlatives to mind, none of which are sufficient to encapsulate the sheer mesmerising quality of his exquisite batting. Sunday’s 133 off 59 balls in the IPL was just another example of his incomparable class, showing viewers everywhere precisely why he is number one.
Sharing in a 215-run partnership for Royal Challengers Bangalore, he had alongside him another one of the world’s greatest talents, Virat Kohli, whose 82 from 50 balls would on any other day be the match’s highlight. In fact, in another era, Kohli could have been in with a close shout for being the world’s best, however, playing in the same generation as AB has made this task infinitely harder. AB is, as numerous people persistently point out on social media and in commentary boxes, “a freak, an alien, the Lionel Messi of cricket,” currently untouchable by any batsmen in world cricket, even those at the top of their game. While this may seem a rather bold declaration, one needs only look at the recent history and identify how his record-breaking displays have ensured he remains at the top of the gentleman’s game.
Amazing AB de Villiers: The World’s Best Batsman
After watching that swashbuckling performance on Sunday, a cricket novice may be forgiven for thinking that T20 cricket is AB’s prime forte. Nationally, though his success in both the Test and ODI arenas proves that he can play a variety of roles when needed. Just last February, he broke the record attaining twelve consecutive 50s in Test matches and put up a brave resistance of 91 when South Africa were dead and buried in a Centurion Test match against Australia. Who can forget his admirable supporting role alongside Faf du Plessis with 33 from a mammoth 220 balls in order to ensure the Adelaide Test match was saved? Or his massive partnership alongside the same high school colleague that almost culminated in an unparalleled record-breaking second innings chase at the Wanderers against India in December 2013? Such instances show us why he is the man for all occasions and how his adaptability makes him such a special gem.
Recently, though, it’s been in the ODI format where his brilliance has been on display most regularly. With the Proteas playing West Indies at home before the World Cup, AB took advantage of the preparation by smashing 149 off 44 balls on the 18th of January, shattering both the fastest 50 and fastest 100 records with ease as only he can. While narrowly missing out on the opportunity to produce the fastest 150, he attained that a mere month later, against the same opponent at the global showpiece. What stunned viewers most during the startling performances was his creativity, with his ability to hit unfathomable shots all around the ground being the work of pure genius. Even up to the semi-final, he continued to lead from the front, hoping to bat his way to a first World Cup triumph for his country. While it wasn’t to be and the world did not have the opportunity to view how the world’s best batsman in all his glory would perform in a final, we can still harbour hope that this comes true in 2019.
Behind all the brilliance though, is a thoroughly modest man, who in his post-match press conference chose to praise his team mate for his support and as always, focused less on his individual accolades and more on the team’s performance. Virat Kohli, however, acknowledged the significance of what had just occurred stating that he “would take this partnership to the grave” and what a privilege it is to play with the world’s best. While the world looked upon AB’s spectacular display with awe, he ended his interview with a sweet Mothering Sunday dedication to the women in his life, giving evidence to his endearing nature, his willingness to deflect the spotlight off himself.
As a young teenager, he once excelled in rugby, hockey, tennis and golf in addition to cricket and as regular viewers of the beautiful game, we are certainly fortunate that he chose to pursue this particular sport. The game of cricket has certainly been lit up by his innovative shots and we can only hope that we will be witnessing this cricketing great for many years to come.
