AB de Villiers

Profile

Abraham Benjamin “AB” de Villiers can do it all – bat, occasionally bowl, keep and even sing. Along with captain Graeme Smith, he’s the only other youngster who stamped his place in the South African national side following retirements of stars of the previous generation.

AB debuted in late 2004 against a visiting England, partnering Graeme Smith as an opener. In his second Test in the same series, he was given gloving duties as stand-in for the injured Mark Boucher. It also led to a demotion in the batting line up to the lower order. The move worked well, yielding a debut fifty in the second innings of the Test. In the last of the 5-Test series, scores of 92 and 109 while opening the innings announced his arrival.

In ODIs though, it took a while for de Villiers to find his footing, recording his first half-century in his 15th attempt against Australia. Once fully settled into the international stage, AB was one of South Africa’s most consistent performers in all formats, being a mainstay in the side. All this despite not having a defined role, deployed as an opener, middle or lower order batsman depending on the situation. As an accomplished keeper, he was often called to deputize for Boucher, and even being touted as his eventual replacement. His presence in the batting line up was important in South Africa’s return to the pinnacle of cricket, registering historic wins in Australia and going on a 3-year unbeaten run since 2007. He also helped South Africa to a semi-final berth in the 2007 ICC Cricket World World Cup, restoring respectability after a poor showing in the tournament’s previous edition. Consistent performances over the years gave the Proteas a new ODI captain in AB, when he replaced Graeme Smith in 2011, post the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Fast Facts

• AB de Villiers’ unbeaten knock of 217 at Ahmedabad was the first double-century by a South African against India.

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Career

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