Tags

, , , , , , ,

The fastest ODI 50, the fastest 100 and NOW the fastest 150. There is no stopping AB de Villiers. The fast 200 will be en route soon. Keep your eyes peeled, there may be a cricket ball flying through your window any minute now.

On the 18th of January, AB de Villiers (in his pink uniform) pulled one of the most phenomenal batting performances against the West Indies. AB smashed the fastest ODI 50 and then fastest ODI century and went on to score an incredible 149 from only 44 balls at a strike rate of almost 340.

Once again against the same opponents, AB de Villiers put on another show for the world.

The fastest ODI 150. Facing only 66 balls he plundered 162* off 66 balls. AB belted 17 fours and eight sixes in his innings and pulled South Africa up to an unbelievable 408. It wasn’t as though South Africa were struggling, they had made a strong base with Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis both hitting 60s. Rilee Rossouw played a firey innings and took the pressure off AB, he gave the captain a chance to play freely.

It started slowly for AB (19 runs off 18 balls counts as slow when in comes to this man), he gave himself a chance to get in. Between the 30th and 40th over Rossouw and AB played it safe. There were a few boundaries here and there, mostly coming from Rossouw, but they kept moving. As soon as the 40th over came, AB decided that the SCG crowd could use some fielding practice. The gears changed and from then on it was the de Villiers show. Both Rossouw and Miller got out but that didn’t stop him. He was an avalanche and one that was picking up speed at an alarming rate. All the West Indies team could do was get out of the way.

At the 47th over, South Africa were on 330-3, an already incredibly strong total. Even if AB got out then it would have been a tough chase, but he continued.  He hit six boundaries off Holder’s eight ball over. 34 runs came off the over and South Africa were at their highest World cup total. The 49th over went for only 14 runs as Farhaan Berhardien starved AB of the strike (luckily for Andre Russell). Then it was back to AB for the final over and Holder had no answers for him. Four sixes and a four came from the last over as AB smashed boundaries over sqare leg, deep midwicket and long on. Holder who had initially only given away nine runs off five overs, ended with figures of 104 off 10 overs. It was a massacre.

South Africa have finally made their mark on the World Cup. Not a small one, they took a fat black sharpie pen and wrote ‘AB DE VILLIERS’ all over it.