Why now, asks cricket, as AB de Villiers calls it a day

AB de Villiers is one of the very few cricketers appreciated and loved beyond national confines, just for the joy he provides.
South African batsman AB de Villiers (File | PTI)
South African batsman AB de Villiers (File | PTI)

Going through the list of fastest ODI centuries is an exciting exercise, for there are many that came at a breakneck speed. Of the 96 that took 75 or fewer balls, eight belong to AB de Villiers. Nobody else has as many. They include the fastest one in the history of the 50-over game, off 31 balls, against the West Indies in 2015. It is four balls faster than the fastest century in T20 Internationals.

Batsman extraordinaire and crowd-puller who took scoring quickly to a level not imagined, the South African who retired from international cricket on Wednesday also had the other gear. In a Test match his team saved in Adelaide in 2012 by frustrating the Australian attack for 148 overs in the fourth innings after being set a target of 430, AB played 220 balls for 30 runs. On other occasions also when the situation demanded, he converted his rapier into a shield and concentrated on playing out time.

It is the ability to tame the extremes that made AB the special one, who could change his game with effortless ease, where others struggled to adapt. They are rare, but you do come across players who have hammered centuries off 40 balls. You also find those who refuse to play shots and specialise in spending time in the middle. Seldom is the same person seen performing these roles successfully at the highest level time and again. In De Villiers, cricket found one who could do that. In a way, he was Shahid Afridi and Dean Elgar rolled into one, bringing out whichever is needed. This ability to transform himself according to requirements puts him on a pedestal higher than contemporaries.

“If someone has such skill sets, one has to say he is a freak of nature. Sheer audacious skills and immense self-belief I think are his biggest features. And a mind which is so strong that it can use these skills to match the conditions and situation," former India spinner Murali Kartik told Express. "It may seem funny, but the key to bowl to him is to keep it very simple, contrary to what one might think. If you can preempt what he might do, you are at a slight advantage, but it's still a slim one."

Such skills usually make one a favourite with the crowd and the South African was one. They may be among the minority, but not everyone in India is fond of IPL. There are many who find the mix of glamour, cricket and entertainment too garrulous and artificial. De Villiers is a hit even among them. They turn on the TV only when he is playing. Not supporters, they just want to enjoy the experience of watching him bat. The 34-year-old is one of the very few cricketers appreciated and loved beyond national confines, just for the joy he provides.

"I guess except for bowlers, everyone will be saddened by this announcement," said former India leg-spinner and selector Narendra Hirwani. "He was one of those rare players whom everybody liked watching, irrespective of the team he played for. That's the remarkable part. Sachin Tendulkar had it in him to win over spectators wherever he played. AB too had this ability. Cricket will miss him and I think he could have played for longer."

Retirements are generally followed by two questions. 'Why' and 'why not'. The announcement to quit made on May 23, 2018, will rankle this game for a while. Millions wanted this show to go on for longer.

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The New Indian Express
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