FILE - AB de Villiers celebrates his century during day three of the second Test against Australia at St George’s Park. The knock was one of many that defined De Villiers' career.
Image: MARCO LONGARI / AFP
AB de Villiers announced that he will be coming out of his four-year cricket hiatus to feature in a T20 tournament featuring various South African cricket legends.
De Villiers is considered one of the best batsmen South Africa has ever produced and certainly one of the finest of his generation. He scored 19,864 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is for the Proteas and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2024.
Prior to his retirement from international cricket De Villiers played some extraordinary innings for the Proteas. Most of them were filled with innovation, flair and raw power, but there were also ones where he showed that application and ability to also guts it out in the middle.
IOL Sport recounts De Villiers' most significant innings that shaped not only his career but also the legacy of South African cricket.
De Villiers top-scored with 63 in the first innings before becoming one of Mitchell Johnson's eight scalps during a typically fiery spell from the Australian left-arm speedster. So, it was going to be even harder to bat in the second innings against the likes of Johnson as the Proteas looked to chase down 414 for victory.
But De Villiers steered the team home with a brilliant unbeaten 106 that showcased a maturity helped to take his game to the next level. De Villiers displayed remarkable composure and skill, while also guiding a young and inexperienced JP Duminy in the heat of battle. A watershed moment in De Villiers' cricket career.
De Villiers batted for a mammoth 10 hours to score the then-highest individual Test score by a South African batsman with his magnificent 278 against Pakistan. Coming in with the team in deep trouble at 33/3, De Villiers got the innings back on track before cutting loose with an exhibition of stroke-making.
De Villiers's unbeaten knock, beating captain Graeme Smith's effort of 277 against England in Birmingham in 2003, contained five sixes and 23 boundaries off 418-balls. The Test match was drawn after both teams failed to take 20 wickets.
The Proteas headed into the final day of this Test having to bat the full 90 overs on a deteriorating Gabba pitch. The 430-run target was immaterial, especially after they finished the fourth day on 77/4.
De Villiers on 12 and his good mate Faf du Plessis on 19 came out first thing and set out their stall to bat the entire day. De Villiers played well within himself, even letting the loose balls go unpunished. For a man who loves to hit the ball a long way, De Villiers faced 220 balls for his 33 without hitting a single boundary.
His innings, to go with Du Plessis' unbeaten century, helped the Proteas secure a draw against the Aussies.
In a dazzling display of power and skill, De Villiers shattered Corey Anderson’s record for the fastest century in ODI cricket by reaching three figures in just 31 balls against the West Indies at the Wanderers.
With an astounding 16 sixes and nine fours, De Villiers ended on 149 runs from just 44 balls to propel South Africa to a target of 440 runs, ultimately winning the match by 148 runs. It was a day when South Africa stood still to witness Mr 360's greatness.
Taking conditions and the quality of the opposition's bowling line-up into account, this could arguably be one of De Villiers' top three Test knocks.
The St George's Park surface didn't allow for fluid stroke-making, but De Villiers weathered the Australian storm before hitting 126 of just 146 balls.
This innings exemplified his unmatched ability to rise to the occasion for his country, solidifying his status as one of the Proteas' all-time greats. That century would also be his last in the Test area, as he retired from international cricket later that year.
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