Cricket
January 18, 2015: The Day AB de Villiers changed ODI Batting forever. Eleven years later, one record still stands tall in world cricket
Facing West Indies at the Wanderers, AB de Villiers reached his hundred faster than anyone had ever imagined possible
With a strike rate of 338.63, AB lit up the Pink ODI, smashing nine fours and sixteen towering sixes
That night, AB also set the fastest ODI fifty in just 16 balls and equalled the record for most sixes in an innings with 16 sixes, a mark later surpassed by Eoin Morgan in 2019 (17 sixes)
AB didn’t rely on brute strength alone. His timing, balance, and 360-degree shot-making meant every delivery was a scoring opportunity
Even in 2026, AB de Villiers’ 31-ball century stands tall as one of cricket’s greatest and most unbreakable feats. The question remains, can anyone ever break this record in the future?