Fanie de Villiers
Encyclopedia
Petrus Stephanus de Villiers (born 13 October 1964 in Vereeniging, Transvaal
), South Africa
), was a cricket
er who played 18 Test
s and 83 One Day Internationals for South Africa
as a right arm fast-medium bowler and right hand batsman between 1992 and 1998.
De Villiers debuted in first-class cricket
in 1985-86 for Northern Transvaal B. He opened the bowling in both innings, taking 5 for 33 in the second. He also played a season for English county team Kent
in 1990.
In 1993-94, at the age of 29, he was called up for the Test tour of Australia. He was selected for the first Test in Melbourne
but it was at the second Test in Sydney
where De Villiers established himself at Test level. With Australia needing just 117 runs to win, De Villiers took 6 for 43, including the final wicket - a return catch from Glenn McGrath
- to lead South Africa to a five run victory. De Villiers' match figures of 10 for 123 saw him named Man of the Match.
Former England
captain Tony Greig
had said at the start of the final innings that South Africa's chances were 100-1. At the Man of the Match presentation, De Villiers reminded him of his statement, adding, "You know South Africans; we never give up."
De Villiers showed further courage in the third Test in Adelaide
when, despite not being able to bowl in Australia's second innings, he batted for 198 minutes as a nightwatchman
, scoring 30 in South Africa's loss.
On this tour, De Villiers, when acting as twelfth man, would use a remote control car to send drinks to the batsmen on the field.
Against England
at The Oval
in 1994, De Villiers bowled a bouncer to English fast bowler Devon Malcolm
hitting him on the front of the helmet and knocking him to the ground. Upon regaining his feet, Malcolm is reported to have said to the nearby South African fieldsmen, "You guys are history". Malcolm took 9 for 57 in South Africa's second innings, the sixth best bowling figures in Test history to that time, and England went on to win by 8 wickets.
1994-95 was an outstanding season for De Villiers. In five Tests, he took 36 wickets averaging 17.47. In the Test against Pakistan
in Johannesburg
, De Villiers became the first ever South African to score a fifty and take ten wickets in the same Test, scoring 66 not out and taking 6 for 81 and 4 for 27. He was subsequently named the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1995, an award he had previously won in 1989.
A popular player, de Villiers was known by the nickname Vinnige Fanie (Fast Fanie) by his Afrikaans
-speaking fans.
De Villiers attended school at the Heidelberg Volkskool and matriculated in 1982. While there, he represented South African Schools as a javelin thrower.
Since his retirement, De Villiers has worked as a television commentator in South Africa and also works as a corporate speaker. He was a judge in the 1995 Miss World
pageant in Sun City
. De Villiers has become involved in raising money for deaf charities as he has both a brother and a daughter who are deaf. He raised R800 000 cycling from Cape Town
to Pretoria
and R189 000 sitting at the top of a floodlight
tower at a Test match in Centurion.
In 2003, Trevor Chesterfield published a biography of De Villiers entitled Fanie De Villiers: Portrait of a Test Bowler.
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...
), was a 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 who played 18 Test
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...
s and 83 One Day Internationals for South Africa
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...
as a right arm fast-medium bowler and right hand batsman between 1992 and 1998.
De Villiers debuted in first-class cricket
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...
in 1985-86 for Northern Transvaal B. He opened the bowling in both innings, taking 5 for 33 in the second. He also played a season for English county team Kent
Kent County Cricket Club
Kent County Cricket Club is one of the 18 first class county county cricket clubs which make up the English and Welsh national cricket structure, representing the county of Kent...
in 1990.
In 1993-94, at the age of 29, he was called up for the Test tour of Australia. He was selected for the first Test in Melbourne
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...
but it was at the second Test in Sydney
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...
where De Villiers established himself at Test level. With Australia needing just 117 runs to win, De Villiers took 6 for 43, including the final wicket - a return catch from Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
- to lead South Africa to a five run victory. De Villiers' match figures of 10 for 123 saw him named Man of the Match.
Former England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
captain Tony Greig
Tony Greig
Anthony "Tony" William Greig is a former English Test cricketer and currently a commentator.Born in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England by virtue of his Scottish father. He was a tall batting all-rounder who bowled both medium pace and off spin. He became captain of the...
had said at the start of the final innings that South Africa's chances were 100-1. At the Man of the Match presentation, De Villiers reminded him of his statement, adding, "You know South Africans; we never give up."
De Villiers showed further courage in the third Test in Adelaide
Adelaide Oval
The Adelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia, located in the parklands between the Central Business District and North Adelaide...
when, despite not being able to bowl in Australia's second innings, he batted for 198 minutes as a nightwatchman
Nightwatchman (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a nightwatchman is a lower-order batsman who comes in to bat higher up the order than usual near the end of the day's play...
, scoring 30 in South Africa's loss.
On this tour, De Villiers, when acting as twelfth man, would use a remote control car to send drinks to the batsmen on the field.
Against England
English cricket team
The England and Wales cricket team is a cricket team which represents England and Wales. Until 1992 it also represented Scotland. Since 1 January 1997 it has been governed by the England and Wales Cricket Board , having been previously governed by Marylebone Cricket Club from 1903 until the end...
at 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...
in 1994, De Villiers bowled a bouncer to English fast bowler Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm
Devon Malcolm is a former English cricketer.Malcolm was one of England's few genuinely fast bowlers of the 1990s. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, he settled in England, making his first-class debut for Derbyshire in 1984, and qualifying to play for England in 1987...
hitting him on the front of the helmet and knocking him to the ground. Upon regaining his feet, Malcolm is reported to have said to the nearby South African fieldsmen, "You guys are history". Malcolm took 9 for 57 in South Africa's second innings, the sixth best bowling figures in Test history to that time, and England went on to win by 8 wickets.
1994-95 was an outstanding season for De Villiers. In five Tests, he took 36 wickets averaging 17.47. In the Test against Pakistan
Pakistani cricket team
The Pakistan cricket team is the national cricket team of Pakistan. Pakistan, represented by the Pakistan Cricket Board , is a full member of the International Cricket Council, and thus participates in , and cricket matches....
in Johannesburg
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...
, De Villiers became the first ever South African to score a fifty and take ten wickets in the same Test, scoring 66 not out and taking 6 for 81 and 4 for 27. He was subsequently named the South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year in 1995, an award he had previously won in 1989.
A popular player, de Villiers was known by the nickname Vinnige Fanie (Fast Fanie) by his Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-speaking fans.
De Villiers attended school at the Heidelberg Volkskool and matriculated in 1982. While there, he represented South African Schools as a javelin thrower.
Since his retirement, De Villiers has worked as a television commentator in South Africa and also works as a corporate speaker. He was a judge in the 1995 Miss World
Miss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
pageant in Sun City
Sun City, North West
Sun City is a luxury casino and resort, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.- History :...
. De Villiers has become involved in raising money for deaf charities as he has both a brother and a daughter who are deaf. He raised R800 000 cycling from 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...
to Pretoria
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...
and R189 000 sitting at the top of a floodlight
Floodlights (sport)
Floodlights are broad-beamed, high-intensity artificial lights often used to illuminate outdoor playing fields while an outdoor sports event is being held during low-light conditions....
tower at a Test match in Centurion.
In 2003, Trevor Chesterfield published a biography of De Villiers entitled Fanie De Villiers: Portrait of a Test Bowler.
External links
- First-Class Matches played by Fanie de Villiers from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Fanie de Villers - Cricinfo Profile
- http://www.speakerpartnership.com/faniedevilliers.htm