Happy Birthday to Mr. 360 - AB de Villiers
Yeah, that how his legacy has been continued. One of the outstanding and most loved players across the planet. Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, South African legend, turns 37 today!
Happy birthday Legend!
on May 30, 2017 in London, England
He was born on 17 February 1984 in Warmbad, Transvaal Province, South Africa.
Even though he is a Wicket-keeper batsman, but mainly dominated as a batsman. He was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times and of the Wisdon cricketer of the decade. He captained the South African team in all three formats.
What is the speciality of him
Well, he is Mr.360 or superman in Cricket. Because he has a wide range of shots all around the ground. He is an innovative and unorthodox player. Mainly behind the stumps. He doesn't hesitate to play a scoop, for a 150km/h+ ball. He is simply a nightmare to the bowlers. He could hit the ball, where ever he wants despite the bowling length. I don't see any batsman being such a headache to place a field setting.
South Africa v West Indies - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup
Undoubtedly he is an attacking player in the shorter format. He holds the record for the fastest ODI century in just 31 balls. He also recorded the fastest ODI 50 and 150.
He can score 150 runs in 50 balls, and also 50 runs in 150 balls too. A great test batsman. He scored over 8,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket and have a batting average of over fifty in both forms of the game.
Career statistics
| Competition | Test | ODI | T20I | FC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches | 114 | 228 | 78 | 141 |
| Runs scored | 8,765 | 9,577 | 1,672 | 10,689 |
| Batting average | 50.66 | 53.50 | 26.12 | 49.71 |
| 100s/50s | 22/46 | 25/53 | 0/10 | 25/60 |
| Highest score | 278 | 176 | 79 | 278 |
| Catches | 222 | 176 | 65 | 275 |
He is an outstanding fielder too. Behind the stumps and in the field. The name superman is referred to him because of this.
Despite all these abilities, he is a very unlucky player. I think all the South African team. Even though South Africa had a great team, and playing really well, they didn't perform well in the major tournaments. No title for them.
During 2015 AB scored 482 runs at an average of 96.0 and strike rate of 144.0. But had to defeat the semi against Kiwis. And in IPL also, he couldn't taste a winning title yet.
New Zealand Vs South Africa Semi-Finals, 2015 World Cup
Records and Achievements
Scored over 8,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket and have a batting average of over fifty in both forms of the game.
Only player with a 50+ average and 100+ strike rate in ODI.
the fastest 50(16 balls), 100(31 balls) and 150 in One-Day International history.
Named in the 'Team of the Tournament' for the 2015 World Cup by the ICC.
Number 1 ICC batsmen in One day International cricket and number 3 in the ICC batsmen rating in Test cricket in 2015.
Here is a tribute for him from the youtube.
"I have seen this debate a lot and while I can play all formats, I don't play these shots. But this is the way I know to play. I don't know to play the innovative shots. My inability to play these shots is why I have to stick to my game. People like AB have a tremendous ability to play all kinds of shots. That shows the talent AB has; he can reverse sweep fast bowlers for six... that's something I have never seen in my life. " - Virat Kohli
Thank you for reading and special thanks to @steemcurator01 and @steemcurator02 for the continuous support!
Thank You!
Best Regards!
JOIN WITH US ON DISCORD SERVER:
The man, the myth, the Legend..💓