A Superman

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He can bat, he can bowl, he can keep, he can field, he can captain a team. He is the Mr. 360 of cricket.  He holds the record for the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in one day internationals. He can bash a bowler for 64 runs in two overs and also play an unbelievable blockathon of 220 deliveries scoring just 33 runs without hitting a boundary. He can take absolute blinders in the field as well as get the batsman run out with his rocket throws. Woah! Is there anything Abraham Benjamin de Villiers can't do on the field? Certainly not!

Known for his unorthodox batting technique, the superman from South Africa made his international debut for the Proteas back in the year 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth and since then he has never looked back. In his 15 years long international career, he broke several batting records. Other than scoring the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODIs, Ab has scored the fastest test hundred and T20 fifty by a South African. He was the number one ranked batsman in ODI rankings for four consecutive years before his RCB teammate and his dear friend from India, Virat Kohli dethroned him as the top ranked batsman. 

Talking about his relations with Virat Kohli, they both are one of the best friends on and off the field and their friendship is one of the most talked about one in world cricket. Batting together for RCB they have scored a plethora of runs and added up for many mammoth partnerships. Ab has been one of the most valuable asset of the Royal Challengers over the years and has proved to be the backbone of the team. He has played uncountable memorable innings for the franchise and is duly loved by every Indian as well. The support and love he receives from the Indians, despite being a foreigner who has troubled India a lot at international level with his batting, is just impeccable.

Retirement and Comeback

Ab de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket in mid 2018, but there were several speculations of his comeback all of which were put to rest after Cricket South Africa, in May 2021, confirmed that he won't come out of his retirement.

There were a lot of official talks for his comeback to the Proteas side. During the 2019 World Cup, after South Africa had a disastrous start to their campaign, the CSA revealed that Ab did offer to come out of his retirement barely 24 hours before the final squad for the quadrennial event was to be announced. The CSA, however, declined his offer as he had ignored the board's plea to not retire back in 2018. It was probably an ethically right decision from the board as it would have been unfair to the guy who would have missed the spot in the team due to de Villier's sudden comeback. 

During his stint with the Brisbane Heat in BBL 2020, Ab hinted that he, along with the South African captain Faf du Plessis and team coach Mark Boucher, were very keen to make his comeback happen. He was all ready for his comeback in the team for the T20 World Cup later in the year, as confirmed by Quinton de Kock in a chat show. But as the T20 World Cup got postponed due to the pandemic, he wasn't able to make his revival in international cricket.

As it has been the case with his retirement and comeback, there was more drama left. In early May 2021, his return to the side seemed possible again but on May 18, 2021 a full stop was put to his comeback as CSA announced the team for the Caribbean tour.

Ab's decision to retire in 2018 was certainly backed by his bad memories of the 2015 World Cup. Ab did admit that the World Cup heartbreak in 2015 played a huge role in his sudden retirement. His dream of lifting an ICC trophy for South Africa was the motivation that kept him in the hunt of his comeback. But unfortunately, he would not be making his comeback for the ICC event later this year.

 

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