6 things that prove AB de Villiers is not human

We have all been awestruck by the talent that is AB de Villiers ever since he made his debut in international cricket just over 10 overs ago. He has shown a freakish ability to do the unconventional time and again.The 31-year-old is one of the few batsmen to average over 50 in both Test and ODI cricket and is considered as one of the greatest fielders in the world. He has also played as a wicket-keeper and has even picked up wickets with the ball in hand.Clearly, there’s something supernatural about AB. Here are 6 things which prove that de Villiers is not an average human being:

#1 Mr. 360

Most batsmen over the years in cricket have particular areas of strength with their batting. Some prefer the off-side, some prefer the leg-side and captains across the world tend to set fields for batsmen based on such strengths and weaknesses. But with de Villiers, you cannot predict anything.

While batting, the South African captain uses the field like no one else in the history of cricket has done before. His ability to hit the ball to any part of the ground is perhaps his biggest strength and has led to him being called ‘Mr. 360’ by some of his fans.

#2 Talent in different fields

If you thought AB de Villiers puts all his energies on just one sport and that is why he is so good at it, think again! As a youngster, he took part in football, hockey, rugby, swimming, athletics and badminton too, and even held records in a couple of those sports as shown in the picture above.

De Villiers’ talents are not just restricted to sports alone, though, as he has also has won a prestigious medal for a science project, a laurel he received from the late Nelson Mandela.

Cricket fans all over the world should be thankful that they get to enjoy AB’s talent the most.

#3 Only batsman with an average of 50+ and strike rate of 90+ in ODIs

The thing with AB de Villiers is that not only does he entertain fans across the globe with his batting, but he does so on a consistent basis. Does anyone even remember when he was last out of form?

The 31-year-old is one of the few batsmen in the history of ODI cricket to average above 50. Add to that a strike rate of 98.35, and he surely ranks as one of the greatest to play the one-day format of the game. He is, in fact, the only batsman in history to have an average of above 50 (52.93) and a strike rate of over 95 in ODIs.

#4 Fastest 50, 100, 150 in ODIs

Just over a month ago, in an ODI against the West Indies at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, AB de Villiers broke the record for the fastest half-century and century in the history of ODI cricket. He missed out on the record for the fastest 150 as he was dismissed for 149 from just 44 balls.

But De Villiers being De Villiers, he didn’t make the public wait long until he got that record as well.

In a World Cup match against the West Indies earlier today, the South African captain took just 64 deliveries to reach 150. He ended up scoring 162* (66) in one of the most destructive knocks that the world has ever seen.

#5 Ability to switch gears

How many batsmen, apart from AB de Villiers, can say that they saved a Test for their country by batting out 220 deliveries – scoring just 33 runs – against a strong Australian team at Adelaide, and then broke the record for the fastest century and half-century in ODIs just a couple of years later?

That is why De Villiers is, perhaps, the most complete batsman the world has ever seen, with his ability to switch gears being unparalleled in modern-day cricket.

#6 Every ODI century at a strike rate of at least 100

Yes, you read that right. At the end of every AB de Villiers innings in ODI cricket, wherein he has hit a century, he has finished the knock with a strike rate of over 100. His lowest strike rate during a knock where he has slammed a century is exactly 100.00, which happened in a match against New Zealand at Wellington in 2012.

His highest strike rate (338.63) in an ODI innings came against the West Indies last month, in the match where he broke the ODI records for the fastest century and half-century. That is also the highest strike rate ever achieved by any batsman to score more than 20 runs in an ODI innings.

Here is a list of de Villiers’ centuries:

Runs	Balls Faced	Strike Rate	Opposition	Venue
146	130	112.30	West Indies	St George's
107	89	120.22	Zimbabwe	Harare
103*	95	108.42	Pakistan	Lahore
121	85	142.35	England	Cape Town
114*	101	112.87	India	Gwalior
102*	59	172.88	India	Ahmedabad
102	101	100.99	West Indies	North Sound
101*	72	140.27	Zimbabwe	Potchefstroom
109	99	110.10	Zimbabwe	Benoni
107*	105	101.90	West Indies	Delhi
134	98	136.73	Netherlands	Mohali
125*	98	127.55	Sri Lanka	Johannesburg
106*	106	100.00	New Zealand	Wellington
128	108	118.51	Pakistan	Johannesburg
115*	102	112.74	Pakistan	Sharjah
109	101	107.92	India	Centurion
108	71	152.11	Sri Lanka	Hambantota
136*	106	128.30	Australia	Harare
149	44	338.63	West Indies	Johannesburg
162*	66	245.45	West Indies	Sydney