10 best AB de Villiers innings

Born on 17th February 1984, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers is a supremely talented and a gem of a batsman who can tear apart any bowling attack on his day. Today, he is one of the best batsmen in the world, across all formats. His supreme ability to play the ball anywhere on the ground against the best bowlers got him the famous tag of Mr. 360.

He is a versatile cricketer with overflowing talent and temperament who can change his game according to the team’s need. Not only as a batsman, he can contribute big-time in the field as well. He is athletic, acrobatic and ever-reliable as a fielder and can also double up as a wicket-keeper when required.

His supreme ability caught the eye of the national selectors in December 2004, when he was just 20-years old. He made his Test debut against England and scored a fine 52 in his fourth Test innings to help South Africa save a Test. Soon, an ODI debut followed and consistency became a big part of his game as he grew in experience.

Since then de Villiers has gone on to become one of the modern-day greats and is one of the most consistent players today. Playing according to the situation, adjusting to the team’s needs, playing at whatever position the team and the situation demands.

So, here we look at 10 best innings that AB de Villiers has played in international cricket thus far.

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#10 69* vs England, Chittagong, 2014

28-ball 69 from de Villiers helped the Proteas score 196

In a must-win encounter against England in the 2014 T20 World Cup, South Africa were put into bat. After a solid start (90-run opening partnership in 10.5 overs), stand-in skipper AB de Villiers promoted himself to No. 3. But, he saw the Proteas lose momentum towards the middle stages of the game as they slumped to 128/3 in 16 overs.

But the next four overs saw the ball flying to all parts of the ground as De Villiers cut loose. Scoring a 28-ball 69, he not only scored the then fastest T20I fifty by a South African but also helped the Proteas finish with a big total of 196.

In the end, 196 proved to be just about enough as South Africa won by 3 runs and qualified for the semis. De Villiers proved to be the difference between the two sides and was fittingly announced as the Player of the Match.

#9 136* vs Australia, Harare, 2014

AB de Villiers scored a brilliant 136 to help South Africa chase down 328

Chasing a huge score of 328 in their first game of the tri-series, South Africa got off to a decent start before being pegged back. At 51/2, Australia must have sniffed an opportunity to bag their second successive win of the series, but a masterclass from AB de Villiers and a superb knock from Faf du Plessis (106) helped South Africa to the target with 20 balls to spare.

When De Villiers walked out to bat at 51/2, he knew he had to bat long to take the game close. A special knock from the South African skipper, his 18th ODI hundred, took South Africa to the victory. It’s not the 136 which made the impact, but the rate at which he got those runs did, as he never allowed the bowlers to settle.

#8 112 vs India, Chennai, 2015

AB de Villiers' heroics went in vain as he got no support from other batsmen.

In 2015, De Villiers was in prime form. He had already scored a hundred in the first game of the series and was looking in great touch. Riding on Virat Kohli’s 138, India set South Africa a target of 300 on a tricky and a sluggish Chepauk track.

South Africa’s chase landed in early trouble as wickets kept falling at regular intervals as none of the batsmen made adjustments on a slow track. But there was one batsman, who looked far better than the others and kept the scoreboard ticking, even as he kept losing partners at the other end. That batsman was AB de Villiers.

The way he played the Indian spinners was a treat to watch. Using his feet and depth of the crease to unsettle the bowlers, he was very effective. Indian bowlers kept taking wickets at the other end, but at one point it seemed like if De Villiers bats through, he will single-handedly take the visitors home.

But that wasn’t the case as he fell soon after completing his 22nd ODI century.

It was a terrific innings from AB as apart from him and Kohli, none of the other batsmen looked comfortable at the crease. His 112 off 107 deliveries was one of the best knocks under pressure.

#7 116 vs Australia, Port Elizabeth, 2014

AB de Villiers's 116 helped South Africa post a big first innings score

This innings of 116 showed the other side of AB de Villiers – the De Villiers who was capable of producing a gritty knock when the team’s back was against the wall.

Against an Australian side which was fresh off a 5-0 Ashes whitewash of England and on the back of a win in Centurion (first test) where Mitchell Johnson took 12-fer, AB de Villiers weathered the storm and dug deep to compile a majestic 116 to take his team from 200/5 to 423 in the first innings.

Yes, he was ably supported by JP Duminy, but De Villiers took the responsibility and helped South Africa post a good total and eventually level the series with a 231-run win.

#6 217* vs India, Ahmedabad, 2008

The second Test of South Africa’s tour of India in Ahmedabad ended inside three days after the curator had prepared a surface which assisted the quicks. After being rolled out for 76 on the first morning, India never stood a chance as De Villiers consolidated South Africa’s position of strength with a brilliant 217 (first double century by a South African against India).

He combined with Kallis to put on a 266-run stand for the fifth wicket to bat India out of the game. It was arguably one of the best innings by a South African in India.

#5 33 vs Australia, Adelaide, 2008

De Villiers display superb technique in the 220-ball blockathon

Yes, you read that right! 33 in the best innings list of a batsman. How often do you see that? But the 33 off 220 balls AB de Villiers made against Australia at Adelaide is certainly amongst his best.

After being set 430 to win, South Africa started the final day at 77/4 and by the end of it, the score read 248/8 and the match resulted in an incredible draw. AB de Villiers curbed all his natural instincts and blocked his way to 33 and spent more than four hours at the crease.

Faf du Plessis batted brilliantly to score a 110 (spending more than 7 and a half hours at the crease) and was the hero for South Africa, but without De Villiers’s stubborn and stroke-less 33, the draw might not have been possible.

His stand of 89 with du Plessis where they batted out 67 overs was instrumental in South Africa averting defeat and staying alive in the three-test series. This innings scored at a strike-rate of 15 was as important as any other hundred for AB de Villiers.

#4 278* vs Pakistan, Abu Dhabi, 2010

278 is still De Villiers's highest Test score

Batting first on a flat track, South Africa were in early trouble at 33/3 when AB de Villiers strode out to join Kallis in the middle at the Sheikh Abu Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. But along with Kallis, he started rebuilding and then consolidating and slowly went onto, not only break records but Pakistani spirits as well.

When the South African first innings was done, AB de Villiers had batted for an unbeaten 10 hours and went onto to score a mammoth 278, the then highest test score by a South African. In a 418-ball vigil at the crease, De Villiers took South Africa from 33/3 to 584/7 declared. Though the Test was drawn, ABD once again left his mark.

#3 149 vs West Indies, Johannesburg, 2015

AB de Villiers presently holds the record for the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODIs

18th January 2015 is a day that will be etched in the cricket books and the memory of every cricket fan forever. It was a day where bowlers had absolutely no chance to salvage any pride for themselves. This was the day when Abraham Benjamin de Villiers decided to rewrite history books, breaking numerous records and creating a few as well.

When ABD walked out to bat at No. 3 after a marathon 247-run opening partnership, nobody would have imagined what would follow. It was absolute carnage at the Wanders. Walking out to bat in the 39th over, he struck the fastest century in the history of ODI cricket (in 31 balls).

44 balls, 144 runs, 16 sixes – all this in 59 minutes at the crease. The ball flew to all parts of the ground and it was one of the best and brutal knocks ODI cricket had ever seen. Such was the impact of De Villiers’s innings that it masked brilliant centuries from Amla (153) and Rossouw (128).

Link - https://youtu.be/HK6B2da3DPA

#2 106* vs Australia, Perth, 2008

De Villiers led South Africa's run chase of 414

This 106 not out was arguably AB de Villiers’s best Test century and his only 4th innings hundred till date. Set a mammoth 414 for victory at the WACA in Perth, Australia were on top when De Villiers came out to bat.

Along with important fifties from Kallis and Duminy, ABD scored an unbeaten 106 to help South Africa make history by chasing down the second-highest total in the fourth innings, which at one point seemed unthinkable as South Africa had lost skipper Graeme Smith (108) and Hashim Amla (53) in the space of 7 runs.

But de Villiers’s brave hundred ensured his team created history.

#1 162* vs West Indies, Sydney, 2015

De Villiers smashed the Windies' bowlers to all parts of the SCG

It had hardly been 40 days since West Indies were hammered by AB de Villiers last - when he scored the fastest ODI hundred in cricket history and broke numerous other records. As if all those records were not enough, De Villiers came back to create new ones and murder West Indies once again, and this time at the World Cup 2015.

After South Africa’s initial struggle, ABD came out to bat in the 30th over with the score 146/3. What followed was a stunning onslaught!

He scored 162 off just 66 deliveries (17 fours and 8 sixes), breaking numerous all-time and World Cup records on the way.

Remarkably, West Indian captain Jason Holder had figures of 5 overs, 2 maidens, 9 runs, 2 wickets in his first spell, but ended up conceding 95 runs in his latter five overs, including a 34-run final over which helped South Africa cross the 400-mark.