The Complete Cricketer - Mr.360

We all love superheroes. They are strong, agile and can pull off inhuman stunts. Does cricket have a superhero? Someone who is a definite match winner? Someone who can hit it out of the park with ease? Someone who is simply outstanding in the field? Yes, the closest thing cricket has to a superhero is, undoubtedly, A B de Villiers.

Is there anything A B de Villiers can't do? He has opened, played in the middle order and finished games for his side. He has bowled and taken a couple of wickets. He can field as well as keep wickets. He can defend and also aggress. He has the fastest ODI 50, 100 and 150 to his name. He also holds the record for playing the most number of test innings of more than 200 balls where less than 50 runs were scored. The fact that he can adapt to any situation makes him stand out from the rest.

If you're still not convinced that he can do absolutely anything, just take a look at this nickname - Mr.360. A player who can play every kind of shot in the book and every kind that is not, he is an absolute treat to watch, no matter the format. As someone who has been credited for revolutionizing the ODI format, his trademark hook to send the ball behind square is etched in the minds of fans. He is definitely an ODI legend and will go down as one of the all time greats.

Even if you don't delve into a lot of statistics, you know that de Villiers has scored a ton of runs in every format of the game. He has been the backbone of every team he has played for. The love and support he gets when he tours other countries is unbelievable, making him one of the fan favourites all around the globe. This is especially the case at his home away from home, Chinnaswamy, where the cheers of fans are deafening whenever AB takes the field. As it is the case with all the greats, de Villiers has served as an inspiration to many other players such as Jos Buttler, Glenn Maxwell and Josh Phillippe.

Notwithstanding the fact that he has never won a major tournament, ABD has had an illustrious career as both batsman and captain. Despite being such a fantastic cricketer, de Villiers hung up his boots on international cricket on 23rd May 2018. That is why, there is always an extra hype whenever AB walks out for RCB and joins forces with his partner-in-crime, Virat Kohli. The chants of 'Ee Saala Cup Namde' only grow stronger in the face of the fact that fans are desperate to see that man lift a cup, in what could possibly be his last year of cricket.

So here's wishing cricket's superman and my all time favourite cricketer a very, very happy 37th!

"The 'big four' chat you hear sometimes about Smith, Williamson, Kohli and Babar/Rootis funny because A B de Villers is better than all of them." - Peter Borren

P.S. I am also hoping he makes an international comeback and wins the World Cup because hey, a fan can dream.

P.P.S. I am sorry for the mediocrity of this write up. No words can do justice to the talent and flair of Abraham Benjamin de Villiers