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Full name Abraham Benjamin de Villiers
Born February 17, 1984, Pretoria
Current age 24 years 90 days
Major teams South Africa,Africa XI,Delhi Daredevils,Northerns,Titans
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
40
71
6
2571
217*
39.55
4735
54.29
5
13
331
9
54
1
ODIs
67
64
7
2147
146
37.66
2518
85.26
3
13
240
39
42
0
T20Is
11
10
3
133
52*
19.00
122
109.01
0
1
14
3
12
1
First-class
59
107
9
4079
217*
41.62
7016
58.13
7
25
96
2
List A
87
83
10
2987
146
40.91
5
19
60
0
Twenty20
26
24
5
521
91*
27.42
394
132.23
0
3
47
19
22
3
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
40
4
198
99
2
2/49
2/49
49.50
3.00
99.0
0
0
0
ODIs
67
1
12
22
0
-
-
-
11.00
-
0
0
0
T20Is
11
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
First-class
59
204
99
2
2/49
49.50
2.91
102.0
0
0
0
List A
87
12
22
0
-
-
-
11.00
-
0
0
0
Twenty20
26
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Career statistics
Test debut
South Africa v England at Port Elizabeth, Dec 17-21, 2004 scorecard
Last Test
India v South Africa at Kanpur, Apr 11-13, 2008 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
South Africa v England at Bloemfontein, Feb 2, 2005 scorecard
Last ODI
Bangladesh v South Africa at Dhaka (SBNS), Mar 14, 2008 scorecard
ODI statistics
T20I debut
South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg, Feb 24, 2006 scorecard
Last T20I
South Africa v West Indies at Johannesburg, Jan 18, 2008 scorecard
T20I statistics
First-class debut
2003/04
Last First-class
India v South Africa at Kanpur, Apr 11-13, 2008 scorecard
List A debut
2003/04
Last List A
Bangladesh v South Africa at Dhaka (SBNS), Mar 14, 2008 scorecard
Twenty20 debut
Titans v Lions at Centurion, Apr 8, 2004 scorecard
Last Twenty20
Kolkata Knight Riders v Delhi Daredevils at Kolkata, May 13, 2008 scorecard
Profile
Few Test debutants can have been asked to play so many roles in such a short space of time as AB de Villiers, and fewer still can have risen to the challenge with such alacrity that, at the tender age of 21, he was already being regarded as the future of South African cricket. A product of Afrikaans Hoer Seunsskool in Pretoria, de Villiers was born to be a sportsman - although such was his natural talent, tennis, golf, cricket or rugby could have been his calling. Cricket won out, however, and after a prodigious spell in the South Africa Under-19 team, he made his debut for Titans in 2003-04, racking up five half-centuries in his 438 runs. He earned his call-up for the first Test against England the following season, and after a composed debut as an opening batsman, he was handed the wicketkeeping gloves for the second Test in Durban, which he helped save with a maiden Test half-century from No. 7. By the end of the series, however, he was back at the top of the order, and after falling eight runs short of a deserved century in the first innings at Centurion, he made instant amends second-time around.
His development continued at a rate of knots in the Caribbean, where he helped seal the series with a wonderful 178 at Bridgetown. On South Africa's tour of Australia at the end of 2005 he managed just 152 runs at 25.33 - despite playing Shane Warne well - and was sent home ahead of the tri-nation VB Series. When South Africa hosted Australia for a return series, de Villiers managed only one good Test, hitting 50 and 46 at Durban, and overall failed to showcase his undoubted talent. However, he was South Africa's highest run-scorer in a 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in July-August with 217, including two impressive fifties.
The 2006-7 South African season was a mixed bag, but his fielding, breathtaking, and his speed in the field, top-class, are two of his biggest assets even though he has failed to convince as a Test opener. He occasionally showed his best form during the 2007 World Cup, but South Africa now need him to kick on.
Andrew Miller/Jamie Alter August 2007
