One of contemporary cricket’s greatest batsmen, AB de Villiers, on Wednesday called time on his illustrious international career, claiming to be “out of gas” after 14 years in the top league.
The 34-year-old former South African skipper said his jaded body was no longer in a position to take the rigours of international cricket after a staggering 420 matches across three formats with over 20,000 runs and 47 hundreds.
In 228 ODIs, de Villiers has scored 9577 runs at an average of 53.50. Here’s a look at his best ODI knocks.
102 off 59 vs India in Ahmedabad (2010)
South Africa had lost the first two ODIs in the three-game series and needed a special performance to end the series with something to show for their trouble. De Villiers was one of the batsmen to put their hand up. He along with Jacques Kallis scored a century apiece to deny India a whitewash. De Villiers was at his attacking best and tore the Indian bowling attack apart. He scored 102 runs in just 59 balls to help the visitors post 365/2 and put the game past MS Dhoni and his team.
149 off 44 vs West Indies, Johannesburg, 2015
149 off just 44 balls. It was a blitzkrieg if ever there was one. West Indies did not know what hit them, those watching in the stadium could not either. De Villiers’ knock was just one milestone after another. He hit the fastest 50 off just 16 balls then went on to hit the fastest 100 off just 31 balls. The knock helped South Africa post 439 runs to bat West Indies out of the match.
119 off 61 vs India in Mumbai (2015)
All level at 2-2, the ODI series between India and South Africa back in 2015 was keenly-contested. The decider in Mumbai, expectedly, was much-hyped. The stage was set for star players from both sides to shine bright. However, there was just one show-stealer - AB de Villiers. The South African stalwart scored a fine century which showcased one of the most destructive batting display in limited-overs cricket. De Villiers dominated the Indian bowlers, scoring 119 runs off just 61 deliveries. The effort saw him score three fours and eleven sixes. South Africa went onto win the game by 214 runs.
162 off 66 vs West Indies in Sydney (2015)
Soon after his blistering knock in Johannesburg, De Villiers was back tormenting the West Indians. The stage this time was the 2015 World Cup. At 146/3 in 30 overs, South Africa were letting West Indies wrest back control. It was then that de Villiers walked in dominated the bowlers in a manner that only he can. His effort included 17 fours and eight sixes to register the second fastest century in the history of the ODI World Cup. South Africa went onto score 408/5 in 50 overs to bat West Indies out of the contest.
136 off 106 vs Australia in Harare (2014)
Chasing 328 in 50 overs, South Africa were put on course by AB de Villiers with support from Faf du Plessis. His knock blew away the Australia attack and took them home with 3.2 overs to spare.
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