AB de Villiers stunned the cricket world on ‘the day of records’
The Proteas – and especially the performance of AB de Villiers at Wanderers last weekend – gave supporters of South African cricket new hope that our team can eventually bring the elusive World Cup home in a few months’ time.
If there is a better batsman in world cricket today than Pretoria’s own AB de Villiers, it will need to be proved to spectators at Wanderers in Johannesburg, who has watched this former Affies boy’s incredible batting performance on Sunday.
It was one of those performances everyone present will proudly want to retell to their grandchildren. AB de Villiers and his Proteas rewrote the cricket record books with their performance.
The irony of De Villiers’s almost superhuman performance is that he has dominated the day to such an extent that many of the teams’ other records cannot be estimated at full value.
When De Villiers walked out to bat, openers Rilee Rossouw and Hashim Amla has already set a new South African record of 236 for a first wicket partnership in one-day cricket.
At the time, Rossouw also achieved a personal triumph when he scored his first international century in one-day cricket. He was eventually dismissed on 128 runs from 115 balls.
Amla continued batting and eventually he had set a new national record for the highest score in one-day cricket with his 153 unbeaten runs from 142 balls.
The Proteas’ total of 439 is also one run more than the iconic South African record total of 438 that they achieved in March 2006 against Australia.
De Villiers’s performance, however, was all that every spectator on the Wanderers could talk about after the game. He did not waste any time to get used to the speed of deliveries from West Indies’ bowlers. He knocked the very first ball he received for four runs. He then set Wanderers on fire with a staggering performance in which he batted at a strike rate of 338,6. In the process, he hit 9 fours and 16 sixes.
He slammed his half-century from just 16 balls. It was his first world record for the day. Then he followed it up with another world record when he reached his century after facing only 31 balls.
De Villiers was well on his way to his third world record for the fastest 150 runs in one innings, but on 149 (from 44 balls) he was caught by Jonathan Carter form the bowling of André Russell to end this remarkable show.
The South African bowlers then restricted the West Indies to 291/7 in their 50 overs to win the match comfortably.
This performance from the Proteas’ at the Wanderers must certainly make them one of the favourites to finally bring the World Cup home this year. The World Cup tournament starts on 14 February in Australia and New Zealand.
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