AB de Villiers
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a former South African international cricketer. AB de Villiers was named the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five Wisden cricketers of the decade at the end of 2019. He is regarded as one of the greatest cricketers in the history of the sport and the best batsman of his era. AB de Villiers began his international career as a wicket-keeper-batsman. But he has played most often solely as a batsman.
He batted at various positions in the batting order, but predominantly in the middle order. He scored over 8,000 runs in both Test and ODI cricket and is one of the very few batsmen to have a batting average of over fifty in both forms of the game. In limited-overs cricket, he is an attacking player. He holds the record for the fastest ODI century in just 31 balls.
Early Life
Abraham Benjamin de Villiers was born on 17 February 1984 in Warmbad (modern-day Bela-Bela), South Africa to Abraham B de Villiers and Millie de Villiers. He has two elder brothers Jan de Villiers and Wessels de Villiers, and described his childhood days as a “really relaxed lifestyle up there, where everyone knows everyone”. He is a devout Christian and has stated that his faith is crucial to his approach to life.
De Villiers is an accomplished guitar player and singer. In 2010, he released a bilingual pop album entitled “Maak Jou Drome Waar” with his friend and South African singer Ampie du Preez. His autobiography, “AB de Villiers – the Autobiography”, released in September 2016. He is the most-followed South African on Instagram.
AB de Villiers’s Wife
De Villiers proposed to his girlfriend, Danielle Swart, at the Taj Mahal in 2012, after five years of dating. The couple got married on 30 March 2013, in Bela-Bela, South Africa. They have two sons and one daughter.
International Centuries
De Villiers has scored 22 Test and 25 ODI centuries. He scored his first Test century against England in 2005 and his first ODI century against West Indies in 2007. He holds the world record for the fastest 100 and 150 in One-Day Internationals.
Why Is AB de Villiers Not Playing in IPL 2022?
AB de Villiers is not playing in IPL 2022 due to his surgery. “I want to thank them for their support over the past decade. I can’t play cricket anymore. Because I had surgery on my right eye,” de Villiers said on Twitter.