Abraham de Villiers
Encyclopedia
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984, Pretoria
, Transvaal Province
, South Africa
) more commonly known by his initials AB is a South Africa
n cricket
er and captain of the South African cricket team
, having succeeded Graeme Smith
after the 2011 Cricket World Cup
for ODIs and T20 Internationals
. He is also part of Royal Challengers Bangalore
in the Indian Premier League
.
De Villiers is a right-handed batsman, who, in a very short space of time, has accumulated many runs in Tests
including centuries against England, India, the West Indies and Australia. He has been dismissed in the 90s on five occasions in Tests. He still holds the record for most Test innings without registering a duck (78), before being dismissed for nought against Bangladesh in November 2008. He also holds the record for the highest individual score by a South African batsman in an innings, with 278*. He is an occasional wicketkeeper for the South African cricket team, and is commonly regarded as one of the best fielders currently in international cricket. AB de Villiers blasted the seventh fastest century in ODI cricket, in 58 balls, when he slammed an unbeaten 102 off just 59 balls against India in Ahmedabad in February 2010. He is currently ranked no. 2 jointly along with Virat Kohli
with 784 points in the ODI batsman as per ICC
rankings.
and in his test career so far De Villiers has batted, bowled and kept wicket as well. He is a talented sportsman and has excelled in golf (playing off scratch despite playing infrequently), rugby, cricket and tennis. However, he chose to pursue a career in cricket and, after a spell in the South Africa U19 team, he made his debut for the Titans in 2003/4.
He made his test debut as a 20 year old on 16 December 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth. He made an impression opening the batting, but was dropped down the order for the second test and also handed the wicket-keeping gloves. In this match, he made a match saving half century from number seven. However, he found himself at the top of the order again for the final test of the series and has played the majority of his tests there. Since then he has not missed a Test match and has also batted down the order in some tests leading to speculation that he may possibly take the place of Mark Boucher
as the wicket-keeper/batsman when Boucher retires, although de Villiers has himself expressed a preference for playing as a specialist batsman only.
Despite a good tour of the Caribbean where he scored 178 to help South Africa seal a test series win, his rapid progress was halted on the tour of Australia
in 2005. Despite playing Shane Warne
well, he struggled and made just 152 runs in 6 innings. De Villiers holds the record for scoring most Test runs before getting out for a duck.
He has been used in a similar fashion to Jonty Rhodes in ODIs, opening the innings, although he currently bats in the middle order. The 2005 ODI tour to India
represented a 'coming of age' for De Villiers as a cricketer as he scored his second ODI half century on 24 October 2006, batting 5th in a partnership with Mark Boucher, playing against an impressive Sri Lankan side. De Villiers gave the selectors a sign by producing his then highest one-day score of 92 not out, which included 12 fours and one six, from 98 balls against India in the 2006 winter series.
De Villiers has a reputation as an outstanding fielder, typified by a diving run-out of Simon Katich
of Australia in 2006, when he dived to stop the ball, and while still lying on his stomach
facing away from the stumps, he tossed the ball backwards over his shoulder and effected a direct hit. This has also led people to make further comparisons of him to Jonty Rhodes
as he was also one of the finest fielders of his generation.
In 2009 He was nominated for ICC Cricketer of the year and ICC Test Player of the year.
On June 6, 2011, New SA coach Gary Kirsten announced that AB de Villiers will be South Africa's new limited-overs captain, at a news conference.
"I'm very excited but I'm also inexperienced. But I've learnt a lot the last seven years from an unbelievable captain," De Villiers, who has never captained a team at first-class level, said. "It's a big responsibility, but there'll be a fresh look in the side, which is good.
In the early stages of the tournament his form was poor with three failures including a duck against the Netherlands in a match where his team broke various records for batting. His talent was shown in a 92 in the first round against Australia which was made in a high pressure situation. Indeed it was around the time De Villiers got out (run out from the boundary by Shane Watson
) when South Africa lost their way and went on to lose the game.
His highest innings to date in ODIs came in the Super 8 game against West Indies on 10 April. He made his maiden ODI hundred, 146 from just 130 balls including 5 sixes and 12 fours. This was despite batting with a runner for the latter stages of his innings and seemingly finding every shot painful due to a combination of cramps, heat exhaustion and dehydration. His innings consisted of a second wicket partnership of 170 with Jacques Kallis
and a third wicket partnership of 70 with Herschelle Gibbs
the latter of which was dominated by De Villiers batting on one leg. De Villiers innings set-up a total of 356/4 from 50 overs.
De Villiers scored an obdurate 174 that helped set up a ten-wicket win for South Africa in the second Test against England at Headingley Carnegie in Leeds in July 2008. This was followed by a 97 at The Oval before he came down the wicket trying to smash Panesar for a boundary and was clean bowled.
De Villiers only scored 11 runs though in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
and made another low score in the first innings of the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
. In the second innings of that Test though, De Villiers scored a patient half-century as South Africa almost held on for an against-the-odds draw.
In the 4th ODI in Adelaide he played as wicketkeeper after Boucher was ruled out. He then scored 82 not out from 85 balls with 6 fours and a six to win the series and was named man of the match.
, scoring 104* of 185 balls with 9 fours and 1 six, whilst his teammates all fell for under 50. But in the second innings he made only 3 of 7.
In the third test, after centuries from Ashwell Prince and Jacques
Kallis, de Villiers became the third centurion of the innings with a score of 163 off 196 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes. This knock also tied the record of most sixes in an over as de Villiers, off a McDonald over, hit four consecutive sixes.
In the following 5 game ODI series, de Villiers played consistently, although starting badly in the first game, scoring only 2 runs. However, he went on to make 36*, 80, 84, and 38, and was named Player of the Series at the conclusion of game 5.
was injured as well Heino Kuhn
donned the keeping gloves. de Villiers returned for the series against and also took over the gloves a still recovering Mark Boucher
and did well against Zimbabwe scoring two centuries out of the three ODI's as South Africa won the three match series 3-0 comfortably.
. In the second T20I he scored 11 runs. He then participated in the five-match ODI series where South Africa were chasing 203 to win and he scored 51 before he was caught and bowled by Saeed Ajmal. In the second ODI he scored 29 as he was bowled by Shahid Afridi
in the same match a flamboyant Abdul Razzaq played the greatest innings of his life to lift Pakistan to an unbelivable victory. During the third match he scored 19 before he was stumped by Zulqarnain Haider
it turned out to be a mistake by the umpire as he had pressed the wrong button. In the fourth match he missed out on a half-century while on 49 when he gifted his wicket to the fielder at point. His good form in the series continued when he scored 61 in the final ODI as South Africa won by 57 runs and the series 3-2.
, he was contracted by Royal Challengers Bangalore
for US$1.1 million. He played for the Delhi Daredevils
in the previous seasons.
!colspan=7|AB de Villiers's One Day International Centuries
|-
! width="40"| !! width="50"|Runs !! width="50"|Match !! width="100"|Against !! width="150"|City/Country !! width="200"|Venue !! width="50"|Year
|-
| [1] || 146 || 38 || || St. George's, Grenada
|| Queen's Park || 2007
|-
| [2] || 107 || 51 || || Harare
, Zimbabwe
|| Harare Sports Club
|| 2007
|-
| [3] || 103* || 52 || || Lahore
, Pakistan
|| Gaddafi Stadium
|| 2007
|-
| [4] || 121 || 92 || || Cape Town
, South Africa
|| Newlands Stadium
|| 2009
|-
| [5] || 114* || 95 || || Gwalior, India
|| Roop Singh Stadium
|| 2010
|-
| [6] || 102* || 96 || || Ahmedabad
, India
|| Sardar Patel Stadium
|| 2010http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan-v-south-africa-2010/content/player/44936.html
|-
| [7] || 102 || 97 || || North Sound, Antigua
|| Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
|| 2010
|-
| [8] || 101* || 103 || || Potchefstroom, South Africa
|| Senwes Park || 2010
|-
| [9] || 109 || 104 || || Benoni
, South Africa
|| Willowmoore Park
|| 2010
|-
| [10] || 107* || 115 || || Delhi, India
|| Feroz Shah Kotla || 2011
|-
| [11] || 134 || 116 || Netherlands || Mohali, India
|| Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh || 2011
|-
{|class=wikitable style="font-size:90%"
|-
!rowspan="1"|
!colspan="4" rowspan="1"|Batting
!colspan="4" rowspan="1"|Bowling
|-
!
!Score
!Fixture
!Venue
!Season
!Score
!Fixture
!Venue
!Season
|-
|Tests
|align="center"|278*
|South Africa v Pakistan
|Abu Dhabi
|align="center"|2010-
|align="center"|2-49
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. John's
|align="center"|2005
|-
|ODI
|align="center"|146
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. George's
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|-
|T20I
|align="center"|79*
|South Africa v Scotland
|The Oval
|align="center"|2009
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|-
|FC
|align="center"|217*
|South Africa v India
|Ahmedabad
|align="center"|2008
|align="center"|2-49
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. John's
|align="center"|2005
|-
|LA
|align="center"|146
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. George's
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|-
|T20
|align="center"|105*
|Delhi Daredevils
v Chennai Super Kings
|Durban
|align="center"|2009
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|}
(Afrikaans High School for Boys, also known as Affies), a public school located in Pretoria. He attended alongside Jacques Rudolph
and Heino Kuhn
, fellow Titans and South African international cricketers, and Francois du Plessis
, a Titans cricketer.
His mother is called Millie and works in real estate and his father, Abraham Benjamin, is a medical doctor. He has two brothers called Jan and Wessels and used to play cricket with them and Martin van Jaarsveld
when he was younger.. He is also an avid fan of English soccer club Manchester United
His official website is http://abdevilliers.com/
.
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
) more commonly known by his initials AB is a South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and captain of the South African cricket team
South African cricket team
The South African national cricket team represent South Africa in international cricket. They are administrated by Cricket South Africa.South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council, also known as ICC, with Test and One Day International, or ODI, status...
, having succeeded Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith
Graeme Craig Smith is a South African cricketer and captain of the South African cricket team Test Match side, having succeeded Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
after the 2011 Cricket World Cup
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. It was Bangladesh's first time co-hosting a World Cup...
for ODIs and T20 Internationals
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
. He is also part of Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is a cricket team based in Bangalore that plays in the Indian Premier League and currently lead by Daniel Vettori. The team is owned by Dr...
in the Indian Premier League
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
.
De Villiers is a right-handed batsman, who, in a very short space of time, has accumulated many runs in Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
including centuries against England, India, the West Indies and Australia. He has been dismissed in the 90s on five occasions in Tests. He still holds the record for most Test innings without registering a duck (78), before being dismissed for nought against Bangladesh in November 2008. He also holds the record for the highest individual score by a South African batsman in an innings, with 278*. He is an occasional wicketkeeper for the South African cricket team, and is commonly regarded as one of the best fielders currently in international cricket. AB de Villiers blasted the seventh fastest century in ODI cricket, in 58 balls, when he slammed an unbeaten 102 off just 59 balls against India in Ahmedabad in February 2010. He is currently ranked no. 2 jointly along with Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli ,born 5 November 1988 in Delhi) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a middle order batsman, who can also open the batting. He can also bowl right arm medium pace. Kohli was the captain of the victorious Indian team at the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup held in Malaysia...
with 784 points in the ODI batsman as per ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
rankings.
Cricket career
De Villiers (who played for Carrickfergus Cricket Club in Northern Ireland as a youngster) became the second youngest and second fastest South African to reach 1000 test runs after Graeme PollockGraeme Pollock
Robert Graeme Pollock, known as Graeme, is a former cricketer. He played in 23 Test matches for South Africa and represented Transvaal and Eastern Province at domestic level....
and in his test career so far De Villiers has batted, bowled and kept wicket as well. He is a talented sportsman and has excelled in golf (playing off scratch despite playing infrequently), rugby, cricket and tennis. However, he chose to pursue a career in cricket and, after a spell in the South Africa U19 team, he made his debut for the Titans in 2003/4.
He made his test debut as a 20 year old on 16 December 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth. He made an impression opening the batting, but was dropped down the order for the second test and also handed the wicket-keeping gloves. In this match, he made a match saving half century from number seven. However, he found himself at the top of the order again for the final test of the series and has played the majority of his tests there. Since then he has not missed a Test match and has also batted down the order in some tests leading to speculation that he may possibly take the place of Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
as the wicket-keeper/batsman when Boucher retires, although de Villiers has himself expressed a preference for playing as a specialist batsman only.
Despite a good tour of the Caribbean where he scored 178 to help South Africa seal a test series win, his rapid progress was halted on the tour of Australia
South African cricket team in Australia in 2005-06
The South African cricket team toured Australia for cricket matches during the 2005–06 season. South Africa had already played two One Day International series during this season, beating New Zealand 4–0 at home before travelling to India and drawing the series there 2–2...
in 2005. Despite playing Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...
well, he struggled and made just 152 runs in 6 innings. De Villiers holds the record for scoring most Test runs before getting out for a duck.
He has been used in a similar fashion to Jonty Rhodes in ODIs, opening the innings, although he currently bats in the middle order. The 2005 ODI tour to India
South African cricket team in India in 2005-06
The South African cricket team visited India for cricket matches in the 2005–06 season. All the matches were one-day games, with five One Day Internationals and a tour match against a team from Hyderabad. Both sides were coming off series wins, India beating Sri Lanka 6–1 at home while South Africa...
represented a 'coming of age' for De Villiers as a cricketer as he scored his second ODI half century on 24 October 2006, batting 5th in a partnership with Mark Boucher, playing against an impressive Sri Lankan side. De Villiers gave the selectors a sign by producing his then highest one-day score of 92 not out, which included 12 fours and one six, from 98 balls against India in the 2006 winter series.
De Villiers has a reputation as an outstanding fielder, typified by a diving run-out of Simon Katich
Simon Katich
Simon Matthew Katich is an Australian cricketer. He is the captain of the New South Wales Blues, and also captained, up until the end of the 2007 season, Derbyshire County Cricket Club...
of Australia in 2006, when he dived to stop the ball, and while still lying on his stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
facing away from the stumps, he tossed the ball backwards over his shoulder and effected a direct hit. This has also led people to make further comparisons of him to Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes
Jonathan Neil "Jonty" Rhodes is a former South African Test and One Day International cricketer who played for the South African cricket team between 1992 and 2003.Rhodes was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province, South Africa...
as he was also one of the finest fielders of his generation.
In 2009 He was nominated for ICC Cricketer of the year and ICC Test Player of the year.
On June 6, 2011, New SA coach Gary Kirsten announced that AB de Villiers will be South Africa's new limited-overs captain, at a news conference.
"I'm very excited but I'm also inexperienced. But I've learnt a lot the last seven years from an unbelievable captain," De Villiers, who has never captained a team at first-class level, said. "It's a big responsibility, but there'll be a fresh look in the side, which is good.
World Cup 2007
Coming into the 2007 Cricket World Cup he was in career best form in ODIs having hit four 50s during the South Africa vs India/Pakistan(2007) matches.In the early stages of the tournament his form was poor with three failures including a duck against the Netherlands in a match where his team broke various records for batting. His talent was shown in a 92 in the first round against Australia which was made in a high pressure situation. Indeed it was around the time De Villiers got out (run out from the boundary by Shane Watson
Shane Watson
Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast medium bowler. He mainly bats as an opener in international cricket, although he does not do so domestically....
) when South Africa lost their way and went on to lose the game.
His highest innings to date in ODIs came in the Super 8 game against West Indies on 10 April. He made his maiden ODI hundred, 146 from just 130 balls including 5 sixes and 12 fours. This was despite batting with a runner for the latter stages of his innings and seemingly finding every shot painful due to a combination of cramps, heat exhaustion and dehydration. His innings consisted of a second wicket partnership of 170 with Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis
Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricketer. As an all-rounder he is a formidable right-handed batsman and fast-medium swingbowler. He is one of the greatest all-rounders of all time, being the only cricketer in the history of the game to hold more than 12,000 runs and 250 wickets in both...
and a third wicket partnership of 70 with Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Gibbs
Herschelle Herman Gibbs is a South African cricketer, more specifically a batsman.Gibbs was schooled at St Joseph's Marist College and then Diocesan College in Rondebosch...
the latter of which was dominated by De Villiers batting on one leg. De Villiers innings set-up a total of 356/4 from 50 overs.
2008
On 4 April 2008 he became the first South African to score a double century against India with his top score of 217*.De Villiers scored an obdurate 174 that helped set up a ten-wicket win for South Africa in the second Test against England at Headingley Carnegie in Leeds in July 2008. This was followed by a 97 at The Oval before he came down the wicket trying to smash Panesar for a boundary and was clean bowled.
Tour of Australia 2008/09
In the first Test in Perth, De Villiers scored a matchwinning century to help South Africa chase down the second highest ever fourth innings target of 414 with six wickets in hand. This was South Africa's first Test victory in Australia in 15 years and appeared to go a long way towards tilting world cricket's balance of power after over a decade of Australian dominance. De Villiers also took four diving catches in the course of the match, including one to dismiss Jason Krejza, a stunner at backward point.De Villiers only scored 11 runs though in the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
and made another low score in the first innings of the final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
. In the second innings of that Test though, De Villiers scored a patient half-century as South Africa almost held on for an against-the-odds draw.
In the 4th ODI in Adelaide he played as wicketkeeper after Boucher was ruled out. He then scored 82 not out from 85 balls with 6 fours and a six to win the series and was named man of the match.
Return Series, Johannesburg 2009
In the first Test at the Wanderers Stadium, De Villiers provided lone resistance in the first innings against a bowling attack led by pace bowler, Mitchell JohnsonMitchell Johnson (cricketer)
Mitchell Guy Johnson is an Australian cricketer. He is a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman. He was awarded the International Cricket Council's 2009 "Cricketer of the Year" award, the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.-Career:...
, scoring 104* of 185 balls with 9 fours and 1 six, whilst his teammates all fell for under 50. But in the second innings he made only 3 of 7.
In the third test, after centuries from Ashwell Prince and Jacques
Kallis, de Villiers became the third centurion of the innings with a score of 163 off 196 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes. This knock also tied the record of most sixes in an over as de Villiers, off a McDonald over, hit four consecutive sixes.
In the following 5 game ODI series, de Villiers played consistently, although starting badly in the first game, scoring only 2 runs. However, he went on to make 36*, 80, 84, and 38, and was named Player of the Series at the conclusion of game 5.
Series against Zimbabwe October 2010
He was rested for the two-match Twenty20 series against Zimbabwe and because Mark BoucherMark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
was injured as well Heino Kuhn
Heino Kuhn
Heino Gunther Kuhn is a South African cricketer who plays for the Titans in domestic cricket. A wicketkeeper batsman, he was the second highest run scorer in the 2006-07 SuperSport Series with 776 runs at 48.50...
donned the keeping gloves. de Villiers returned for the series against and also took over the gloves a still recovering Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher
Mark Verdon Boucher is a South African cricketer, who holds the record for the most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He was educated at Selborne College and has represented Border, Africa XI, ICC World XI, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders of the Indian Premier League, and...
and did well against Zimbabwe scoring two centuries out of the three ODI's as South Africa won the three match series 3-0 comfortably.
Against Pakistan in October 2010
His major challenge came against Pakistan where for the two Twenty20 matches he was in charge of the gloves. In the first match he was out for a second-ball duck courtesy of a superb delivery by Shoaib AkhtarShoaib Akhtar
Shoaib Akhtar is a former Pakistani right arm fast bowler in cricket, who is regarded as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket. He set an official world record by achieving the fastest delivery, when he clocked in at 161.3 km/h in his bowling speed, twice at a cricket match against...
. In the second T20I he scored 11 runs. He then participated in the five-match ODI series where South Africa were chasing 203 to win and he scored 51 before he was caught and bowled by Saeed Ajmal. In the second ODI he scored 29 as he was bowled by Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi , popularly known as Shahid Afridi , is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2011, Afridi played 27 Tests, 325 One Day Internationals, and 43 Twenty20 Internationals for the Pakistani national team...
in the same match a flamboyant Abdul Razzaq played the greatest innings of his life to lift Pakistan to an unbelivable victory. During the third match he scored 19 before he was stumped by Zulqarnain Haider
Zulqarnain Haider
Zulqarnain Haider is Pakistani cricketer who has played for his national team. Having played for Pakistan Under-19s, Haider was called up to the senior national side in 2010 as cover for wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal during their tour of England. Haider made his Test debut during the tour, but a...
it turned out to be a mistake by the umpire as he had pressed the wrong button. In the fourth match he missed out on a half-century while on 49 when he gifted his wicket to the fielder at point. His good form in the series continued when he scored 61 in the final ODI as South Africa won by 57 runs and the series 3-2.
Indian Premier League
In the fourth season of Indian Premier LeagueIndian Premier League
The Indian Premier League is a professional league for Twenty20 cricket competition in India. It was initiated by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , headquartered in Mumbai, and is supervised by BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla, who serves as the league's Chairman and Commissioner...
, he was contracted by Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore is a cricket team based in Bangalore that plays in the Indian Premier League and currently lead by Daniel Vettori. The team is owned by Dr...
for US$1.1 million. He played for the Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils is the Delhi franchise for the Indian Premier League in cricket. The franchise is owned by the GMR Group.-Franchise history:...
in the previous seasons.
ICC World Cup 2011
AB de Villiers scored two successive centuries in the 2011 World Cup. He became the first South African to score two centuries in a single World Cup and the fifth batsman after Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar, Rahul Dravid and Matthew Hayden to score two consecutive centuries in a single World Cup tournament. He also became the 16th batsman to score two or more centuries in one World Cup tournament. The record is three centuries in one tournament, jointly held by Mark Waugh (1996), Sourav Ganguly (2003) and Matthew Hayden (2007). AB de Villiers' strike rate of 136.73 is the highest among South African batsmen who have scored centuries in World Cup matches. With his third player of the match award in World Cups, de Villiers is joint second with Jacques Kallis on the list of South African players with most match awards in World Cups. Lance Klusener heads the list with five awards.Test Centuries
| AB de Villiers's Test Centuries | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |Match | |City/Country | |Year | ||||
| [1] | 109 | 5 | Centurion Centurion, Gauteng Centurion is an area with 279,430 inhabitants in Gauteng Province of South Africa, located between Pretoria and Midrand . Formerly an independent municipality, with its own town council, it is now part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
SuperSport Park | 2005 | |
| [2] | 178 | 10 | Bridgetown Bridgetown The city of Bridgetown , metropolitan pop 96,578 , is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael... , Barbados Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint... |
Kensington Oval Kensington Oval The Kensington Oval is located to the west of the capital-city Bridgetown on the island of Barbados. "The Oval" is one of the major sporting facilities on the island and is primarily used for cricket... |
2005 | |
| [3] | 114 | 11 | St John's St. John's, Antigua and Barbuda St John's is the capital and largest city of Antigua and Barbuda, a country located in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. St John's is located at... , Antigua Antigua Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la... |
Antigua Recreation Ground Antigua Recreation Ground Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team... |
2005 | |
| [4] | 103* | 35 | Durban Durban Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Sahara Stadium Kingsmead Sahara Stadium Kingsmead Kingsmead is a cricket ground in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It operates under the sponsorship-based name of Sahara Stadium Kingsmead where Sahara is the trademark of a sponsor from the IT industry. Its stated capacity is 25,000, although grass terracing makes up part of the viewing area.... |
2008 | |
| [5] | 217* | 39 | Ahmedabad Ahmedabad Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad... , India India India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world... |
Sardar Patel Stadium Sardar Patel Stadium Sardar Patel Stadium is one of the premier Cricket stadiums of India located in the Motera locality of Ahmedabad. Because of its location, the stadium is commonly called Motera Stadium to avoid confusion with another stadium of the same name in Navrangpura locality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel... |
2008 | |
| [6] | 174 | 42 | Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... , England England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... |
Headingley Cricket Ground Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie .... |
2008 | |
| [7] | 106* | 47 | Perth Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000.... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
WACA Ground WACA Ground The WACA is a sports stadium in Perth, Western Australia. WACA are the initials of its owners and operators, the Western Australian Cricket Association.... |
2008 | |
| [8] | 104* | 50 | Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Wanderers Stadium Wanderers Stadium BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating... |
2009 | |
| [9] | 163 | 52 | Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
Newlands Stadium Newlands Stadium Newlands Stadium, currently referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all seater venue.... |
2009 | |
| [10] | 135* | 60 | Basseterre Basseterre Basseterre , estimated population 15,500 in 2000, is the capital of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Geographically, the Basseterre port is located at , on the south western coast of Saint Kitts Island, and it is one of the chief commercial depots of the Leeward Islands... , St Kitts |
Warner Park Warner Park Warner Park is a community park on the northeast side of Madison, Wisconsin near Lake Mendota. It is the annual home for the largest fireworks show in the Midwest, Rhythm and Booms.... |
2010 | |
| [11] | 278* | 63 | Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western... , United Arab Emirates |
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi Arabic ملعب الكريكيت الشيخ زايد cost $22 million to build and is arguably one of the world's finest cricket grounds... |
2010 | |
| [12] | 129 | 64 | Centurion Centurion, Gauteng Centurion is an area with 279,430 inhabitants in Gauteng Province of South Africa, located between Pretoria and Midrand . Formerly an independent municipality, with its own town council, it is now part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality... , South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
SuperSport Park | 2010 |
One Day International Centuries
{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%" align="center" width:"100%"!colspan=7|AB de Villiers's One Day International Centuries
|-
! width="40"| !! width="50"|Runs !! width="50"|Match !! width="100"|Against !! width="150"|City/Country !! width="200"|Venue !! width="50"|Year
|-
| [1] || 146 || 38 || || St. George's, Grenada
St. George's, Grenada
St. George's, population 89,018 , with an agglomeration of 4,500 people , is the capital of Grenada, . The city is surrounded by a hillside of an old volcano crater and is on a horseshoe-shaped harbor....
|| Queen's Park || 2007
|-
| [2] || 107 || 51 || || Harare
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
|| Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club
Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,...
|| 2007
|-
| [3] || 103* || 52 || || Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
|| Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium
Gaddafi Stadium is a cricket ground in Lahore, Pakistan. It was designed by Daghestani-born architect and engineer Nasreddin Murat-Khan who also designed Lahore's Minar-e-Pakistan and constructed by Mian Abdul Khaliq and Company in 1959. Following the ground's renovation for the 1996 Cricket World...
|| 2007
|-
| [4] || 121 || 92 || || Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
|| Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium
Newlands Stadium, currently referred to as DHL Newlands for sponsorship reasons, is located in Cape Town, South Africa.The stadium currently has a capacity of 51,900 people, but is not an all seater venue....
|| 2009
|-
| [5] || 114* || 95 || || Gwalior, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
|| Roop Singh Stadium
Roop Singh Stadium
Captain Roop Singh Stadium, is a cricket ground in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The stadium has hosted 10 ODI matches, the first one was played between India and West Indies on 22 January 1988. The ground has flood lights and has hosted day-night encounters. One Match of the 1996 Cricket World Cup was...
|| 2010
|-
| [6] || 102* || 96 || || Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
|| Sardar Patel Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium is one of the premier Cricket stadiums of India located in the Motera locality of Ahmedabad. Because of its location, the stadium is commonly called Motera Stadium to avoid confusion with another stadium of the same name in Navrangpura locality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel...
|| 2010http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan-v-south-africa-2010/content/player/44936.html
|-
| [7] || 102 || 97 || || North Sound, Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
|| Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium is a stadium in North Sound, Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda. It was built for use in the 2007 Cricket World Cup where it hosted Super 8 matches. The stadium usually caters for 10,000 people, but temporary seating doubled its capacity for the 2007 Cricket World Cup...
|| 2010
|-
| [8] || 101* || 103 || || Potchefstroom, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
|| Senwes Park || 2010
|-
| [9] || 109 || 104 || || Benoni
Benoni, Gauteng
Benoni is a city with 654,509 inhabitants on the East Rand in the South African province of Gauteng. Since 2000, it has been part of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.- History :...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
|| Willowmoore Park
Willowmoore Park
Willowmoore Park is a multi-purpose stadium in Benoni, South Africa. It is currently used mostly for cricket matches and hosted two matches during the 2003 Cricket World Cup. The stadium holds 20,000 people and opened in 1924...
|| 2010
|-
| [10] || 107* || 115 || || Delhi, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
|| Feroz Shah Kotla || 2011
|-
| [11] || 134 || 116 || Netherlands || Mohali, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
|| Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh || 2011
|-
Career Best Performances
as of 21 November 2010{|class=wikitable style="font-size:90%"
|-
!rowspan="1"|
!colspan="4" rowspan="1"|Batting
!colspan="4" rowspan="1"|Bowling
|-
!
!Score
!Fixture
!Venue
!Season
!Score
!Fixture
!Venue
!Season
|-
|Tests
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
|align="center"|278*
|South Africa v Pakistan
|Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi Arabic ملعب الكريكيت الشيخ زايد cost $22 million to build and is arguably one of the world's finest cricket grounds...
|align="center"|2010-
|align="center"|2-49
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. John's
Antigua Recreation Ground
Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team...
|align="center"|2005
|-
|ODI
|align="center"|146
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. George's
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|-
|T20I
Twenty20 International
A Twenty20 International is a form of cricket which is played over 20 overs per side between two national cricket teams. The game is played under the rules of Twenty20 cricket...
|align="center"|79*
|South Africa v Scotland
|The Oval
The Oval
The Kia Oval, still commonly referred to by its original name of The Oval, is an international cricket ground in Kennington, in the London Borough of Lambeth. In the past it was also sometimes called the Kennington Oval...
|align="center"|2009
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|-
|FC
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
|align="center"|217*
|South Africa v India
|Ahmedabad
Sardar Patel Stadium
Sardar Patel Stadium is one of the premier Cricket stadiums of India located in the Motera locality of Ahmedabad. Because of its location, the stadium is commonly called Motera Stadium to avoid confusion with another stadium of the same name in Navrangpura locality of Ahmedabad. Sardar Patel...
|align="center"|2008
|align="center"|2-49
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. John's
Antigua Recreation Ground
Antigua Recreation Ground is the national stadium of Antigua and Barbuda. It is located in St. John's, on the island of Antigua. The ground has been used by the West Indies cricket team and Antigua and Barbuda national football team...
|align="center"|2005
|-
|LA
|align="center"|146
|South Africa v West Indies
|St. George's
|align="center"|2007
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|-
|T20
|align="center"|105*
|Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils
Delhi Daredevils is the Delhi franchise for the Indian Premier League in cricket. The franchise is owned by the GMR Group.-Franchise history:...
v Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a franchise cricket team based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu that plays in the Indian Premier League. Founded in 2008, the team is currently captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coached by Stephen Fleming, a former New Zealand cricketer. The team's home ground is the M. A...
|Durban
|align="center"|2009
|align="center"|n/a
|
|
|align="center"|
|}
Education
AB attended Afrikaanse Hoër SeunskoolAfrikaanse Hoër Seunskool
The Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool also known as Affies, is a public high school for boys situated in the city of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, opposite Loftus Versfeld, the rugby stadium and home of the Bulls and Blue Bulls.The school's founding on 28 January 1920 marked the establishment of the...
(Afrikaans High School for Boys, also known as Affies), a public school located in Pretoria. He attended alongside Jacques Rudolph
Jacques Rudolph
Jacobus Andries Rudolph , popularly known as Jacques Rudolph, is a South African Test and ODI cricketer currently playing in England with Yorkshire CCC and in South Africa with Titans.He had an unbeaten 222 in his debut Test inning...
and Heino Kuhn
Heino Kuhn
Heino Gunther Kuhn is a South African cricketer who plays for the Titans in domestic cricket. A wicketkeeper batsman, he was the second highest run scorer in the 2006-07 SuperSport Series with 776 runs at 48.50...
, fellow Titans and South African international cricketers, and Francois du Plessis
Francois du Plessis
Francois "Faf" du Plessis is a right-handed batsman who plays One Day International cricket for South Africa and is a former under 19 representative....
, a Titans cricketer.
Personal life
A devout Christian, he has stated that his faith is crucial to his approach to life. He has said "Jesus is everything in my life – he's the man", and "My faith means more to me than playing for my country. It comes first."His mother is called Millie and works in real estate and his father, Abraham Benjamin, is a medical doctor. He has two brothers called Jan and Wessels and used to play cricket with them and Martin van Jaarsveld
Martin van Jaarsveld
Martin van Jaarsveld is a South African cricketer who played nine Tests and eleven One Day Internationals for South Africa between 2002 and 2004...
when he was younger.. He is also an avid fan of English soccer club Manchester United
His official website is http://abdevilliers.com/
Music career
He plays the guitar and sang the songs "Show Them Who You Are" and "Maak Jou Drome Waar" (Make Your Dreams Come True) with musician Ampie du PreezAmpie du Preez
Ampie Du Preez is a South African singer-songwriter. In 2010 he collaborated with South African cricketer AB de Villiers on their debut album, Maak Jou Drome Waar ....
.