AB de Villiers is a South African right-handed batman who majorly plays cricket. He is known for his attacking form of playing the game.
Recently in May 2020, he was named “Greatest fielder of all Time” by Jonty Rhodes.
He is named ICC ODI Player of the Year 3 times.
He is also one of the rare talents, who made their ODI century by hitting a SIX on the last ball of the 50th over.
Biography/Wiki
Irrespective of his nationality, he is being loved to be watched playing on the field. Why so? Because of his sheer talent, experience, and charisma that he carries with him. If anyone wants to see the real invention happening right in front of him, please ask him to watch playing AB de Villiers.
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No one, other than him, can even guess what shot is he planning to play on the next delivery. That’s his class, his mastery of the game! Whether he is in front of the wickets as a batsman, behind the wickets as a wicketkeeper, or around the wickets as a fielder, he made himself versatile in every position that the team cannot even think of playing without him.
| Real Name | Abraham Benjamin de Villiers |
| Nationality | South African |
| Nickname | Mr. 360, ABD, Superman |
| Batting | Right-handed |
| Bowling | Right arm medium |
| Role | Batsman, wicket keeper |
| Age | 39 years |
| Date of Birth | 17 February 1984 |
| Place of birth | Bela-Bela, Limpopo Province, Pretoria, South Africa |
| Jersey Number | 17 |
| Religion | Christian |
| Zodiac Sign | Aquarius |
| Favorite Shot | Pull Shot |
| Hobbies | Travelling, Singing and Swimming |
Family
AB was born in Warmbad. His father was a doctor by profession who loves playing Rugby in his youth. He encouraged AB to make his career in sports.
| Father | Abraham B de Villiers |
| Mother | Millie de Villiers |
| Brother | Wessels de Villiers, Jane de Villiers |
| Sister | N/A |
| Wife | Danielle de Villiers |
| Son | Abraham de Villiers, John Richard de Villiers |
Education
AB did his schooling from Afrikaanse Hoer Seunskool, situated in Pretoria, South Africa. He is a graduate.
Height & Weight
| Height (Centimeters) | 178 cm, 1.78 m |
| Height | 5 feet 10 inches |
| Weight (Kilograms) | 75 kg |
| Chest’s Size | 40 Inches |
| Waist’s Size | 32 Inches |
| Biceps’ Size | 14 Inches |
| Hair Color | Golden Brown |
| Eye Color | Blue |
Career
His first maiden ODI 100 came during the 2007 ICC cricket world cup playing against West Indies when he scored 146 runs on just 130 balls. Although his overall performance in the world cup was not up to expectations.
Later in 2008, he played very well on the field and started gaining everyone’s attention. He made a double century (217 runs) against India and helped his team in winning a test match against West Indies. His form continued and his team won the ODI series against Pakistan by 3-2. He was also named in the “World XI” in 2009 and 2010 due to his consistent performance.
In the 2011 cricket world cup, AB scored two ODI centuries and became the first South African cricketer to score 2 centuries in the single world cup. Later, he was made captain of the South Africa ODI cricket team. He kept playing and feathering new achievements in his cap.
2015 was a record-breaking year for him. He made the fastest ODI 50s and 150s and was one of the top performers at the 2015 ICC cricket world cup.
On 23rd May 2018, AB announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket.
Girlfriend/Affairs
AB had a long-time girlfriend, Danielle Swart, whom he met in 2007 in a hotel near Waterberg Mountains. He was smitten by her eyes, hair and looks. They both started liking and dating each other. After 5 years of spending quality time with each other, AB decided to marry Danielle in 2012. During IPL 2012, AB proposed Danielle at the Taj Mahal, Agra. They both got married in South Africa on 30 March 2013.
Ab has described all his heart-warming experiences in his autobiography.
Social Media Instagram
AB is active on Instagram and has a massive fan following of more than 10 million people.
Favorites
| Cricket Bat | Kookaburra Bat |
| Batsman | Virat Kohli |
| Bowlers | Gerrit Deist, Wasim Akram |
| Movie | Gladiator, A River Runs Through It |
| Food | Pasta, Sea Food |
| Cricket Ground | SuperSport Park, Centurion, South Africa |
| Car | BMW X5 |
| TV shows | The Voice SA |
| Sports Personalities | Roger Federer, Tiger Woods |
| Musician | Snow Patrol |
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Centuries and stats
He has an impressive career record of 25 ODI centuries and 22 test match centuries.
AB has played 228 ODI matches, 114 test matches, and 78 T20 matches, and scored total of 30,703 runs as of now.
| Competition | Test matches | ODI matches | T20I matches |
| Matches played | 114 | 228 | 78 |
| Runs scored | 8,765 | 9,577 | 1,672 |
| Batting average | 50.66 | 53.5 | 26.14 |
| 100 / 50 | 22/46 | 25/53 | 0/10 |
| Best score | 278* | 176 | 79* |
As Brand Ambassador
His success and fame have made him a brand ambassador for many big brands and companies for product endorsements worldwide. Some of them are :
- Montblanc
- Wrogn Active
- MRF Tyre S Global
Some other Facts
- became 3 times “ICC ODI Player of the Year”.
- was featured in Wisden Cricketers of the Decade in 2019.
- He has the record for the fastest ODI century in just 31 balls.
- hold the record for fastest ODI 50s (16 balls) and 150s (64 balls) as well.
- He was the captain of the South-African cricket team in all 3 formats.
- AB and Faf du Plessis are childhood friends.
- also known as Mr. 360 and “Superman” for his versatile play over the field.
- He released his autobiography in September 2016.
- first south African batsman to score a double century against India in 2008.
- a singer and guitar player as well.
- He released a pop album with singer “Ampie du Preez” in 2010.
Net Worth
| Retainer Fee | $ 363,000 |
| Test Fee | $ 6,925 |
| ODI Fee | $ 1,900 |
Recently, AB and Virat Kohli, have decided to auction their “Signed RCB Jerseys and bats” to raise funds for COVID-19 relief work.