Happy Birthday AB de Villiers: Record holder for the fastest ODI century

AB de Villiers, aka Mr.360, is one of the finest batters ever to play international cricket. He represented South Africa in 420 international matches before calling it a day in 2018. AB holds the record for the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODIs. He scored the fastest 50 and 100 in the same match against the two-time world cup champions, West Indies.

On a warm Sunday afternoon, 18 January 2015, South Africa was playing a one-day international match at the Wanderers against the mighty West Indies. It was a pink day match. For those who don’t know about the pink one-day match, it is a normal one-day match in which the host team, South Africa wears pink clothes for breast cancer awareness. It was a houseful and there were no empty seats when the match began. It was a motely crowd as the young, the old, the brown, the white and the black of all age groups were there. Some had their big glasses of beers in their hands, some were laying under the sun clad in minimal clothing, while some were singing. Everyone was enjoying his/her weekend. The one common thing was that almost all of them were wearing pink. Some were wearing pink watches, pink shoes, pink underwears (got a strong source for this one) and some had pink ribbon on their shoulders.

South Africa was playing brilliantly. Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw were flawless as both built up an opening partnership of 247 runs before Rossouw got out for a well-played 128. South Africa was 247 for one when AB de Villiers came out to bat. With around eleven or twelve overs left in the innings play, the stage was set for AB de Villiers to display his power hitting skills. The plan was simple as AB also talked about it in his autobiography. Amla would bat through and AB would add some spice. West Indies were made aware of the plan from ball one as AB de Villiers played a straight drive to Jerome Taylor for four runs. The shot was not timed properly but it gave AB the confidence to counter attack. After that what AB did is unforgettable. Those who witnessed his innings live in the stadium should consider themselves lucky. As, it was not only power hitting or slogging, it was one of those innings that only one could imagine off. That day AB de Villiers wrote history with his willow.

Hitting all corners of the stadium and improvising. Playing shots that were hitherto impossible to play. Turning yorkers into low full tosses and then sweeping them for a six. It was an exhibition. Hashim Amla would take a single on the first ball of the over and then AB would make sure that the bowler suffers. Out of nowhere AB reached his 50 and it was the fastest 50 ever in ODIs coming of just 16 balls. AB didn’t just stop there. He carried on, scoring at a mind-boggling strike rate. AB was on 88 when the West Indies captain, Jason Holder came into bowl the 46^th over. Holder went for a yorker which was converted into a full toss by de Villiers and was hit for a six. The next ball also went for a six and AB reached his 100 of just 31 balls. The crowd had gone berserk and there was a huge roar when Holder was hit for six. The crowd was chanting AB’s name and even the West Indies knew that there was nothing much they could’ve done.

AB carried on before getting out on 148. There was a hush around the stadium when AB got out. No one wanted his innings to end. But then the Wanderers rose in unison and gave AB a standing ovation. South Africa’s innings ended at 438 and West Indies were able to score 291 in response.

AB proved beyond reasonable doubt that he was the best at that time, in all formats; playing shots that were never even there two decades ago. Virat Kohli rates AB as the finest batsman of this generation and Adam Gilchrist believes that he was the most valuable cricketer on the planet. WE do not dare to disagree.

Happy Birthday AB de Villiers.