From ABD to Superman - An amazing journey in pictures

A hypercoaster story, that bloomed and gloomed through the years, was finally brought to end by the hero of the epic himself, Abraham Benjamin De Villiers. An enigmatic cricketer who was loved by many, de Villiers transformed the way aggressive batting was perceived, blending art with brute in an unconventional, yet highly effective manner.

As he retires from international cricket, here's revisiting his career through a series of pictures:

2004-2006: Getting a taste of international cricket

De Villiers made his debut as a 20-year-old

A 20-year-old de Villiers was pushed into the Proteas playing XI, alongside rookie pacer Dale Steyn against England at Port Elizabeth in the final month of 2004. Blonde-haired, he opened the batting with captain Graeme Smith and was immediately tasked with steering the ship after Smith's second-ball duck. He ended with 28 in the first innings and 14 in the second.

De Villiers was pushed to do wicket-keeping in only his second game

In the very next game, he was thrust with wicket-keeping gloves and left an impression with a dogged, unbeaten 52 in the fourth innings of his career. He picked up a total of five catches in the game, including four in the second innings.

He partnered Graeme Smith at the top initially, in both Tests and ODIs.

From his first series against England in late-2004 to the ICC World Cup in 2007, the South African side won seven out of ten Test series and eight out of 11 ODI series. De Villiers hit his maiden century in his fifth game, at Centurion, compiling 109 off 169 balls.

He made his ODI debut a few months later, in February 2005, against England, and opened the batting with Graeme Smith, scoring a sedate 20.

2006-2007: The highs and lows of ICC tournaments

His first ICC tournament was the 2006 Champions Trophy

Perhaps the first instance of his freakish nature in world cricket was observed when he produced a stunning run-out of Simon Katich in an ODI in 2006, hurling the ball onto the stumps while rolling, and hitting the bulls-eye.

His first major tournament was the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, one which he started off with a fifty against Sri Lanka at Ahmedabad. In the semi-finals, he was run-out against the West Indies on 46, with his side crashing out of the tournament with a six-wicket loss.

De Villiers was run out against West Indies in the semis

He entered the 2007 World Cup, having played two years of ODI cricket with no centuries to his name.

The start turned out to be positive, as he slammed two back to back fifties after enduring a duck in the opening game against the Netherlands. After two more ducks, de Villiers' tally for the World Cup had gone to three.

Walking off after getting out for a duck against the Netherlands

He corrected it with a century against hosts West Indies, his maiden ODI ton, stepping up to the big stage and delivering. A stunning 146-run knock shows the world the promise of the then 23-year-old, and a sneak-peek into what's in store.

He notched up his first ODI ton against WI during the 2007 WC

However, he ended up with one more duck in the tournament, against New Zealand at St. George's. The side crumbled and imploded against Australia in the semi-finals, and endured one more heartbreak.

A few months later, in the then-unheralded T20 format, in the inaugural World T20, de Villiers had a quiet tournament, posting a string of low scores, barring an unbeaten 52 against New Zealand.

2007-2011: Entering the senior state

As the World Cup ended, the side mixed youth with experience, and de Villiers, having played a few years of international cricket, was slowly identified as the man for the future. He proved how he was up for the challenge, scoring his first double-century in tough Indian conditions, an unbeaten 217 at Ahmedabad.

De Villiers compiled his first double century against India in 2008

He was in prime nick against Australia, scoring four fifties in nine ODIs versus them during a mini purple-patch in 2009. By then, he had started getting the world's attention, and continued to build his Test resume with centuries against England and Australia, including a century that helped his side chase down 414 in Australia.

He found a purple patch against Australia in 2009

By then, he also found his way into the Indian Premier League and became an instant hit with the crowd in the subcontinent, owing to his quirky strokeplay. He played the first three seasons for the Delhi Daredevils, scoring a century against CSK in 2009.

De Villiers, representing the Delhi Daredevils in 2010

In the lead-up to the 2011 World Cup, de Villiers plugged holes in his batting and got the runs in both Tests and ODIs, including successive one-day centuries against India in 2010, the series where Sachin Tendulkar scored the first double century. He played a combined three T20Is in 2008 and 2011, but scored runs aplenty in Tests, including a 278 against Pakistan in 2010, his best Test score.

2011-2015: The transformation into a beast

He started off the World Cup with a bang

Leading into the 2011 World Cup, de Villiers was one of South Africa's premier batsmen, having scored runs across the world, averaging an overall 45, despite an indifferent against India just before the ICC tournament.

He started off with a bang, smashing two back-to-back hundreds, against West Indies and the Netherlands, as South Africa cruised into the next round.

De Villiers became more dynamic as the years progressed

However, the elation did not translate into long-lasting joy, as the side failed to chase down 222 against New Zealand in the quarter-finals. He ended with the highest runs (353 from 6 games) for his side, but the dream was broken yet again.

In 2011, he was contracted with the RCB

After fresh auctions, de Villiers was contracted by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, a side that he played with until this year. His 23-run thrashing of Dale Steyn in IPL 2012 became part of the tournament's folklore, as his popularity raged further in the country, while he showed more dynamism with his strokes.

In his first game as SA's ODI captain

Appointed captain of the ODI side against Sri Lanka in January 2012, he led his side to the biggest win over the Lankans.

Further into the year, a freak accident to Mark Boucher, and his subsequent retirement, forced de Villiers to don the wicketkeeping gloves on a full-time basis.

De Villiers against India in the 2012 World T20

By 2015, he was a complete batsman, and highlighted it in the year's opening month itself, smashing the West Indian attack to smithereens with a record-thumping 31-ball hundred, hitting nine fours and sixteen sixes in a single innings.

Celebrating the fastest ODI hundred ever

The World Cup arrived, and to it were pinned the hopes of de Villiers' side finally laying to rest the ghosts of ICC silverware. Against West Indies (again), he smacked a 66-ball 162, the fastest 150 in World Cup history, to set the ball rolling.

Barely a month later, he crushed West Indies again

It seemed like he had done all the right things to finally take the Proteas across, but the side couldn't latch onto crucial moments and failed to hold on to their nerves against New Zealand in the semi-finals. The picture of AB de Villiers crying after his side's heartbreaking loss was the poster cover for South Africa's failed campaign.

The picture, worth a thousand words

2016-2018: The flicker before the final goodbye

De Villiers increasingly distanced himself away from Test cricket

While de Villiers continued to pile on the runs, it became increasingly clear that he was having a tough time balancing all three format together, especially after the stirring loss in the 2015 semi-finals. However, he was handed captaincy after Hashim Amla stepped down against England in 2016.

He was in supreme form during IPL 2016

Soon after, he hit the fastest T20I half-century by a South African, against England, and carried on the form in the IPL as well, scoring a century and six fifties during a blockbuster season for RCB, pushing them through to the finals.

The 2017 Champions Trophy was yet another disappointment

In early 2017, de Villiers took a sabbatical from Test cricket, citing the growing burden of international cricket as the reason. The Champions Trophy came and went, but the side could still not lay their hands on major titles. Towards the end of the year, before making a recall to the Test side, he pulverized the Bangladeshi attack with a 176, his highest score in ODIs.

Series wins against India and Australia were high points of his Test return

In late 2017, he made a return to the Test outfit, and pushed his way into the side, playing against India early next year, and following it up with a series (marred by the ball-tampering saga) versus Australia. He scored an unbeaten 126 at Port Elizabeth, staking a claim for a full-fledged preparation in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup.

AB de Villiers walks back after playing his last game in IPL 2018

With the Royal Challengers Bangalore for his eighth season in the IPL, de Villiers displayed sparks of brilliance, even as the rest of the batsmen failed to fire. He ended the tournament with 480 runs from 12 games at an average of over 53, but the RCB franchise could only finish sixth on the table, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

That catch

His final flash of excellence, perhaps, came with his boundary catch against the Sunrisers Hyderabad where he leaped high and grabbed the ball with one hand, becoming a rage on social media for the way he contorted his body to stay in play. Days after, in a video message on Twitter, he announced his retirement from international cricket.