Top 3 innings of AB de Villiers in ODIs

AB de Villiers was a part of the golden generation of South African cricket. He had an instrumental role in South Africa’s domination of world cricket in the 2010s. The daring middle-order maestro was class apart on the cricket field. In this article, we will reminisce about some of his heroics and take a look at his top 3 innings in ODI cricket. 

#1. 176 vs Bangladesh, 2017

AB de Villiers scored 176 runs in a blinder of a knock which is also his best figure in ODI cricket. Bangladesh invited South Africa to bat first after winning the toss. The Proteas accepted the invitation and posted 353 runs on the board in the first innings. Almost half of these runs were scored by one man, AB de Villiers. He led the home side to a total which was beyond Bangladesh’s reach. In the end, South Africa won the match by 104 runs and De Villiers was awarded the player of the match for his contribution with the bat. 

#2. 162* vs West Indies, 2015

This is arguably the best knock in De Villiers’ career because of the occasion on which it was played. The South African captain smashed an unbelievable 162 runs off just 66 deliveries to overshadow the opposition. South Africa faced off with West Indies in the group stage and the South African skipper marked his presence with this batting performance. The Proteas scored 408 runs in the first innings and defended it easily in the second innings winning the match by 257 runs. 

#3. 149 vs West Indies, 2015

This is the fastest century in the history of ODI cricket and it could have only been done by the genius that is AB de Villiers. South Africa batted first in this match against West Indies and they got off to a great start courtesy of a brilliant opening partnership between Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw. This start was capitalized by the South African captain who completed his century in just 31 deliveries. He eventually ended up with 149 runs off 44 balls that he scored at a mind-boggling average of 338.63.