No one seems to remember when AB de Villiers was last out of form. After a 31-ball century against a helpless West Indies attack at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, the fastest ever in the history of ODI cricket, de Villiers has now become a legend.
People are debating over his status as the best batsman in world cricket. With a record strike rate of a mind-boggling 338.63, he achieved the highest strike-rate in an innings of 50 or more. By playing the way he did, de Villiers also surpassed Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi’s strike rate of 305.55.
Without taking much from Corey Anderson’s 36 ball hundred, which is now the second fastest ODI 100, de Villiers’ outstanding achievement stands out because of several reasons. It’s a kind of feat even the in-form batsman of his day can’t stake claim to. An explosive West Indies’ opener like Chris Gayle would find it difficult to achieve what de Villiers pulled off.
Remarkable, out of the world, scintillating… the onlookers and commentators wax eloquent over performances with the bat that inspire the most flattering adjectives. Actually words aren’t enough to praise de Villiers’ prowess.
He also equalled India’s Rohit Sharma’s record of hitting 16 sixes in an ODI innings. So what if he came to bat after 30 overs? He still smashes balls for centuries. He also scored his 50 off 16 balls, which was again the fastest.
In other words, he was a bullet train on a rampage, on Sunday, and by comparison the other batsmen of the most able sides appear as quaint as old fashioned steam locomotives of yore!
