“I am tired.” Three words we thought he would never say. Yet, that is how Abraham Benjamin de Villiers chose to end his stellar career. On May 23, the former South African captain posted a video on Twitter, announcing his retirement from all forms of international cricket. Though he had earlier taken a break from and returned to Test cricket, it seems unlikely that he will do so again. There was a sense of finality to the announcement. At 34, the champion thinks he has “run out of gas”. A recent catch in the IPL, where he sprang up a metre or two from the ground, plucked the ball from thin air and landed just inches from the boundary rope, would make fans question the amount of fuel he has in reserve. But, the man knows best. And we fans have to respect that decision.
To evaluate a player's success, we often rely on statistics. But, in AB de Villiers's case, numbers are only part of the story. For those keen on figures, here they are—he played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is, scoring 8,765, 9,577 and 1,672 runs respectively. He averages more than 50 in ODIs and Tests, and holds the record for the fastest 50 (16 balls), 100 (31) and 150 (64) in ODIs. He is the only batsman (among those who have played at least 50 innings) who averages over 50 and has a strike rate of over 100 in ODIs. Then, there's the IPL. He has lit up stadiums as part of a stacked Royal Challengers Bangalore side, often eclipsing national hero Virat Kohli. In 141 matches, he has amassed 3,953 runs, at an average of almost 40, with a strike rate of 150.93.
Speaking of numbers, let's take a look at two scores—33 runs of 220 balls; 100 runs of 31 balls. One would be forgiven for guessing that the former belongs to Sunil Gavaskar (on a lazy day in sunny Lord's) and the second to Chris Gayle (in the IPL, before a thunderous crowd). The two innings, however, came from one bat, that of AB de Villiers. And if that doesn't explain his genius, what can?
Once, while watching him play, Gavaskar remarked, “ABCDE—AB can do everything.” Though commentators often get swept away by emotion, not least while watching a batsman in full flow, Gavaskar's remark did speak a truth. While not an all-rounder in the traditional sense—though he does bat, bowl, field and keep wickets—AB de Villiers could indeed “do everything” in his core proficiency of batsmanship. With blade in hand, he could pierce gaps between fielders as easily as he could deposit the cherry in the stands. As a news portal once described him, “AB de Villiers is that player you create in a computer game, who has the attributes set to maximum.”
One would imagine that AB de Villiers is a nightmare for video game developers. While creating the batsman in the game, the developer usually gives the character a certain number of shots. But, what would he do with AB de Villiers?
For those people who take special interest in graphics, you would have noticed how AB de Villiers's wagon wheel is filled with variety. M.S. Dhoni's wagon wheel, for instance, would be full of shots down the ground and through long on. AB de Villiers, however, plays the ball everywhere. The moniker 'Mr 360' didn't appear magically, did it?
An example of his audacity was seen this IPL season. At times, as the bowler would be close to releasing the ball, AB de Villiers would alter his stance so that he would be facing the square-leg umpire. Once the ball left the bowler's hand, he would hit it anywhere behind the wicket. Mind you, none of it is mindless slogging. It is about placement and confidence in your ability.
For years, there has been a post floating around on social media, claiming that AB de Villiers played multiple sports, including tennis, rugby and badminton, for the South African national teams. While he busted that myth in his autobiography, AB de Villiers could well have been a star dancer. Watch him craft an innings in the shorter formats, and you see a man moving left, right, forward, backward, and even jumping at times. All for those crazy shots he has in mind.
Who else, if anyone, could think of sweeping a genuine pace bowler. If he had played in the 1970s, the West Indies bowlers would surely have boxed his ears. Perhaps, the best compliment AB de Villiers has got is from his long-time teammate Dale Steyn. Apparently, the star bowler once said that he fears only two games a year—the two he has to play against AB de Villiers in the IPL.
Spinners, too, have faced his wrath. Take this IPL season. Afghanistan's Rashid Khan, the most troublesome bowler, has outfoxed nearly every batsman. Most foreign players have struggled against the teenager. Most batsman, especially in the subcontinent, are taught to read spinners out of the hand. However, AB de Villiers has read him off the pitch, which is usually a hard ask. Especially as Khan bowls quicker through the air.
With players like Kohli or Kane Williamson, who look like they have been brought to life from the pages of a coaching manual, bowlers know what to do, where to bowl. Though it might not work, they can keep bowling in those areas—the corridor of uncertainty, for example—and hope that the batsman makes a mistake. But, with AB de Villiers, and even Steve Smith, the technique is not textbook. It is unconventional, but perfect in its own way. And, it is in Test matches that this technique helps him. As most people associate him with big hitting, innovative shots and fast-paced batting, his Test exploits are often overlooked. But, on several occasions, he has put his head down and toiled through days to save his side from a loss. No other contemporary batsman, perhaps, has been as successful all over the world. Be it the swing in England or the bounce in Australia, AB de Villiers has put on a masterclass in Test cricket. Perhaps the only chink in his armour is batting against India, in India. With rank turners, almost all foreign players have struggled against the Indians in the past few years. But, even then, AB holds on to a respectable average of about 40.
With the cricketing world changing, probably not for the best, teams are winning more at home and not away. Batsmen are bosses in their backyard, but struggle elsewhere. There is no dominant side, like the Windies of the 1970s and 1980s or the Aussies of the 1990s and 2000s. In such a world, the quality of batsmanship will slowly deteriorate. And, AB de Villiers's retirement could just be another nail in that coffin.
But, for close to 15 years, he exuded class, on and off the field, and etched his name in cricketing history, one shot at a time. “For me, in green and gold, it must be everything or nothing,” he said of his national team jersey in his retirement video. Green and gold, one may say, encapsulate the man perfectly. Gold, for his personal lustre and value, and green, for being as grounded as the grass he played on.