AB De Villiers aka "Mr.360" announced his retirement from all forms of cricket yesterday. The 37-year-old announced his decision via social media platforms and sent the world in a state of shock.
Yes, De Villiers was away from International cricket but he was still a player who was instrumental for every team he played in franchise cricket. His retirement post witnessed a flood of messages from all players, ex-players, IPL teammates, etc., and months before the mega auction, ABD has confirmed that he won't be featuring in the IPL anymore.
Abraham Benjamin De Villiers, born on February 17, 1984, has been a great servant of cricket and the man still holds the record for fastest 50, 100, and 150 in ODI cricket.
De Villiers was one of the very rare batsmen who had medicine for all types of deliveries, a player that didn't have a specific weakness, a player who always amazed the world whenever he stepped on the field.
The Numbers Game!
De Villiers featured in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, 78 T20Is, 184 IPL matches. However, these numbers won't change any more.
AB de Villiers Test Stats
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s/100s | HS |
| 114 | 8765 | 50.66 | 54.72 | 46/22 | 278 |
AB De Villiers ODI Stats
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s/100s | HS |
| 228 | 9577 | 53.5 | 101.1 | 53/25 | 176 |
AB De Villiers T20I Stats
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s/100s | HS |
| 78 | 1672 | 26.12 | 135.17 | 10/0 | 79 |
AB De Villiers IPL stats
| Matches | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | 50s/100s | Highest S. |
| 184 | 5162 | 39.71 | 151.69 | 40/3 | 133 |
Despite carrying the image of an explosive batsman, De Villiers was an exemplary Test batsman and his records speak for himself. He played numerous important knocks for South Africa and got them out of trouble on countless occasions.
De Villiers was always reliable and with age, his game got better and better. He lost the fear of bowlers and attacked any bowler irrespective of his pace, Spin, or swing.
# AB De Villiers is the only batsman in to have an average of 50 and above and a strike rate of 100 and above (batsman with minimum 5000 runs).
# De Villiers is also the second-fastest and second-youngest Proteas player to score 1000 Test Runs.
# De Villiers holds the record for most innings played without a duck (78), he is also the all-time second-highest individual scorer with 278 Runs. He has won the ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2010, 2014, and 2015.
# He is also the first Proteas player to score a double-century against India in Tests.
Franchise Cricket
De Villiers represented Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in the IPL, while he has also played for Barbados Tridents (CPL), Lahore Qalandars (PSL), Brisbane Heat (BBL), Tshwane Spartans, and Rangpur Riders Middlesex.
For his extensive franchise cricket career, he was once criticized too, after he had quit international cricket in 2018.
How it Started
AB De Villiers impressed everyone in the U-19 circuit and was roped into the Test side when he was just 20 on December 16 2004 against England.
His reputation enhanced massively after his performances in his debut series, against Australia, and especially after he performed exceptionally against India in 2006.
De Villiers made his ODI debut in February 2005 (2nd) and T20I debut in February 2006 (24th).
De Villiers' limited-overs image reached heights when he scored his maiden ODI ton in the 2007 Cricket World Cup against West Indies. That came after some poor performances but ABD didn't look back and didn't stop either.
He also played an enormous role in South Africa's first Test win in Australia in 15 years, scoring a ton and aiding the Proteas to chase down the second-highest fourth-innings score.
After Mark Boucher's unfortunate incident, AB de Villiers kept wickets, though he had done it in the past too now his role as a wicket-keeper was cemented for a few years until Quinton de Kock replaced him in 2015.
# During a test in 2013, AB de Villiers managed to record 11 dismissals and even score a ton, making him the first-ever wicket-keeper to do so in a single Test.
# Individually, De Villiers' best tournament was the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup where he not only led the team but also finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament (482) behind New Zealand's Martin Guptill and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara.
After acquiring the ODI captaincy in 2012, he also started to lead the Proteas in red-ball cricket after Hashim Amla resigned in 2016.
De Villiers retired from international cricket in 2018 but clarified after a few days that he'd be available to play franchise cricket for some years. Finally, November 19 was the day when AB De Villiers decided to hang his boots.
A player loved by all, we'll miss him, won't we? Stay tuned with Cricwizz for the best cricket content.
