On This Day: AB de Villiers Rewrites Record Books
AB de Villiers had a memorable 18th January last year when he rewrote the record books by playing a jaw-dropping knock in the ODI against West Indies in Johannesburg. The South African hit the fastest ODI half-century and century in that match
AB de Villiers is a freak. He is a phenomenon. He is a genius. He is dazzling. All these attributes were tagged to him thanks to his consistent performances for South Africa in his 12-year international career. However, one year ago, on January 18, 2015, de Villiers played a knock which redefined excellence and cemented all these attributes. (AB de Villiers Slams Fastest ODI Hundred)
The venue was Johannesburg. The opposition West Indies. South Africa had won the Test series 2-0 but had lost the Twenty20 International series 1-2 thanks to Chris Gayle's belligerence. The Proteas bounced back by winning the first match in Port Elizabeth and the stage was set for the second ODI. West Indies won the toss and chose to field but their decision proved to be fatal as Hashim Amla and Rillee Rossouw strung up a 247-run opening stand, the sixth-best of all time. Rossouw departed 128 off 115 balls and the score was 247/1 in 38.3 overs. Enter De Villiers. (Adam Gilchrist Hails AB de Villiers as Most Valuable Player on Planet)
What followed was an audacious display of batting which decimated an already deflated opposition. Employing every stroke in the cricket manual as well as inventing some of his own, de Villiers proceeded to decimate West Indies in a knock that could be cricket's version of Shock and Awe. (AB de Villiers Shatters Records En Route to 44-Ball 149)
Blitzkrieg
De Villiers got off the mark with a boundary but he targeted Andre Russell by slamming two fours and two sixes. One of the sixes was a scoop paddle to long leg that sailed into the stands. Having started off like a bullet train, de Villiers did not slow down and he annihilated Jason Holder for three sixes and a four to bring up his fifty off 16 balls, the fastest ever in ODIs, beating the 17-ball record set by Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya against Pakistan in Singapore in 1996.
Sixes and fours flowed from the bat of de Villiers and he was within touching distance of a special record. In the 46th over bowled by Holder, de Villiers blasted a four and two sixes to bring up a century of just 31 balls, the fastest ever in ODIs. He broke the record set by New Zealand's Corey Anderson, who achieved it against the West Indies in Queenstown in January 1, 2014.
Records shattered
After reaching his century, de Villiers aimed higher and he smashed four sixes and a four off Dwayne Smith to close in on 150. However, in the quest for glory, he perished for a magnificent 149 off 44 balls. The knock included nine fours and 16 sixes. The amount of sixes hit levelled the record set by Rohit Sharma who achieved it during his knock of 209 against Australia in Bangalore in 2013. South Africa reached 439/2, the second-highest score in ODIs.
However, it was not the last time that de Villiers played such an astounding knock. In the 2015 World Cup clash also against the West Indies in Sydney, he smashed the fastest 150 off just 65 balls as South Africa notched up 417/5, the highest score in World Cups.
At the start of 2015, the world witnessed the zenith of de Villiers as a batsman. For all bowlers, it was the time of ultimate terror.