Ab de Villers - the complete cricketer

Ab de Villers – the complete cricketer: He was good at golf. He was good at rugby. He excelled in all the sports you could think of. But ultimately he chose cricket as a career. He could have chosen any other professional sport. Was he better in cricket when compared to other sports? It doesn’t matter. Because he has excelled in all formats of the game and is now regarded as the best cricketer in the modern era. For us, millions of cricket fans worldwide, he is a complete cricketer.

AB, as he is fondly called, has had a wonderful career spanning over 10 years. From representing his country to winning a test series in Australia to losing a thrilling World Cup semi-final, he has seen it all.

He started off as a 20-year old, against a formidable England side. Although AB de Villiers was not known to be a destructive batsman at the beginning his career, he was slowly growing into one. The innings against India during 2006, where he blasted 92 from just 98 balls was an indication of his destructive capabilities.  He could play some amazing lap shots; those reverse sweeps and could play any shot from any angle. Until then, cricket fans were used to the more traditional cricketing shots like the straight drive, the cover drive and the square cut. But this man had changed it all, during that series and many more which would follow. This was the beginning of a great player in action.

AB showed his amazing fielding capabilities when he ran out Simon Katich during the Australia series in Port Elizabeth. From thereon, he was a live wire in the field. He would do anything on the field. He would dive, slide, sprint, dive and also effect some incredible run-outs. He was such an amazing fielder that you could have him in your team just for his fielding abilities.

He is also a very effective medium pace bowler as was being displayed during the World Cup. South Africa had an issue with the absence of a fifth bowler, but AB came to their rescue and proved that he was more than just a decent fifth change bowler by claiming a few important wickets.

As with everyone else, AB also had some tough times during his career. The 2015 World Cup semi-final loss was undoubtedly, the most disappointing loss in his entire career.This was one match, which will be in every ardent cricket fan’s memory. Few would deny that the rain delay had a major say. If it were not for the rain delay, who knows, South Africa would have amassed even 400 with de Villers and Miller going very strong. Chasing such a huge total in a high-pressure match would always have been very difficult. But yes, South Africa did have their chances, the most important being AB missing a run out opportunity of Grant Elliot, who would later go on to win the match for his team. It was a heart-breaking loss for the entire world. It was perhaps the first time they were watching their hero cry on the field. During the post-match interview, you would have expected AB to come out and say something about the rain delay or the Duckworth Lewis system. But he didn’t. Instead, he accepted that New Zealand was the better team that day and that South Africa had opportunities which they could not hold on to. His display of humility, acceptance of defeat, and praise for the opponents makes him not only a world-class cricketer but also a complete cricketer.