AB de Villiers is a retired South African cricket captain who led his country to victories in all formats of the game. De Villiers was born in Warmbad, South Africa, and is known as one of the greatest batsmen of his generation. He started playing cricket at a young age and went on to compete in other sports like golf, football, and tennis. He first rose to fame in April 2008, when he became the first South African to score a double century in a match against India. He hit a career-high 217 runs, which is the most he’s ever hit in a season. He also holds a number of other records, including the fastest Test century and the fastest T20 50 by a South African. He is a member of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is a famous T20 cricket league in India. He has played for the Delhi Daredevils and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. He is a professional musician and guitarist in addition to being a cricketer. ‘Maak Jou Drome Waar,’ a bilingual pop album, was released by him. He is also a football lover who is a die-hard Manchester United supporter. De Villiers has since been active in charitable endeavours.
Childhood and Puberty
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers was born in Warmbad, in the Limpopo province of South Africa, on February 17, 1984. Abraham B de Villiers is his father’s name, and Millie de Villiers is his mother’s. He comes from a family of three children.
Despite the fact that his father is a doctor, he was a big sports fan and inspired his sons to engage in sports as well. De Villiers got his education at Pretoria’s Afrikaans Boys’ High School. In addition to cricket, he excelled in golf, football, diving, and tennis.
A career
Despite his talent in a number of sports, AB de Villiers wanted to seek a career in cricket. He joined the Titans in 2003 and began playing for Carrickfergus Cricket Club in Northern Ireland the next year as an overseas player.
He made his test debut against England in December 2004. Despite the fact that he was just twenty years old, his success was well received. He developed a reputation as a great fielder as well over the years.
Following his appearance in the 2007 World Cup, he achieved popularity. His results in the game, on the other hand, was less than stellar, and he was also chastised for it. Despite this, his team advanced to the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Australia.
The following year, after becoming the first South African to score a double century in a match against India, AB de Villiers acquired a lot of fame and prestige. He continued to score 217 runs while remaining unbeaten.
He played his first test series in Perth, Australia, in 2008-09, where he helped his team win. South Africa has won for the first time in Australia in fifteen years.
His World Cup success in 2011 was also excellent. During the tournament, he scored two centuries, making him the first South African to do so. Despite his excellent results, South Africa was defeated by New Zealand in the quarterfinals.
He was appointed captain of the One Day International team later that year. Following numerous test and one-day international wins, AB de Villiers turned in another excellent display during the 2015 World Cup. He is the South African team’s leading run scorer. His squad made it to the semi-finals under his captaincy. His side, though, was defeated by New Zealand once again, as it had been in the previous World Cup.
In January 2017, after leading his team to several wins, he agreed to sit out the rest of South Africa’s test matches for the year. In early 2018, he returned to the stage and took part in an Indian tour of South Africa.
He scored his 22nd test century in the second match of the following test series against Australia, leading his team to a six-wicket victory.
On May 23, 2018, while still at the height of his career, AB de Villiers declared his retirement from all aspects of international cricket.
Achievements & Awards
AB de Villiers has received several ‘Player of the Series’ and ‘Man of the Match’ awards during his career.
He holds the records for the fastest half-century and century in an ODI, the fastest 150 in an ODI, the most sixes in an ODI, and the fastest player to cross 9000 runs in an ODI. He is the first South African to score two centuries in a World Cup match, as well as the first South African to score two centuries against India.