Unmatchable AB de Villiers redefined what was possible

NICK HOWSON: The former South Africa batter reshaped what it meant to be an attacking batter. Captains and bowlers across the world will be delighted to see the back of him, if indeed this is the end

Retirement has come to mean many things in professional cricket over many years. You can take your leave from one part of the game and remain in another. Seemingly having walked away one minute and then rock up at another competition. One of the great things about cricket is there is always one last game. And for everyone else, there is the Road Safety World Series.

Whether Royal Challengers Bangalore v Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League turns out to be the last time we see AB de Villiers at the crease remains to be seen. If the flirtatious glances he gave South Africa following his exit from the international game in 2018 are any indication, then don't rule out a swansong of some description.

The greatest indication this will indeed be his grand departure came in his farewell statement on Twitter (he clearly hasn't perfected the thread), in which he said his passion for the game "no longer burns so brightly". Meanwhile, of his family comprising wife Danielle and three children, he said: "I look forward to the next chapter of our lives when I can truly put them first." That's a tough one to U-turn on.

Even if we're ultimately unconvinced that this truly is the end, we should not dismiss the opportunity to celebrate one of the greats of the modern game. Whether it be Test, one-day international or T20, he was a genuine world-class, all-in cricketer. He averaged more than 50 in the first two formats, barely believable numbers given how he approached the game.

Away from the stats, that is surely how De Villiers will be remembered best. The manner in which he took on bowlers with the red or white ball in hand was remarkable, as was his ability to set the tone from the outset of his innings. Playing his way was the De Villiers way.

^{No area of the ground was safe with De Villiers at his best}

Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde's Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution devotes an entire chapter to the right-hander and his bedazzling quality.

"De Villiers’ ability to start with alacrity was underpinned by having no obvious weakness against any bowler type. While most players had a clear preference for pace or spin – the skills required for playing one often compromised those required for playing the other – de Villiers was equally strong against both. He scored at a strike rate of 135 against spin and 155 against pace but was dismissed by spin far less often.

"One of the first major influences of data analysis on T20 was the rise of ‘match-ups’ which saw fielding captains target batsmen with specific bowler types based on potential vulnerabilities displayed in the records of the batsman against that bowler type. The issue for fielding captains against de Villiers was that he had no obvious match-up to exploit."

When you consider the tricks batters adopt at the crease in T20 it is impossible not to attribute some of that to AB. While Chris Gayle is a homing missile that needs shuffling into place, De Villers was a Harrier jump jet. He could be dropped into any match and cause chaos. No part of the ground was safe.

162* off 66
17 fours and 8 sixes

An AB de Villiers epic from the 2015 ICC Men's @cricketworldcup 🔥

Relive the brilliant knock as he announces his retirement from all forms of cricket. pic.twitter.com/ArTa88NFwP

— ICC (@ICC) November 19, 2021

That isn't to say that De Villiers couldn't be as conventional as the rest. Look at the start of his innings against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup and the straight drives that began the carnage. That 162 not out from 66 balls was a knock of two parts. It began with genuine cricket shots and ended with an explosion. His last 103 runs came off 37 deliveries.

Everyone has a favourite De Villiers shot. How can you not marvel at the fine sweep, sinking down onto one knee and blasting the ball behind square? It turned yorkers into maximums, making bowlers who wanted to cramp him for room look a bit silly. For a period it felt like one of the great disarming shots in the international game.

Of the 101 T20s he played after turning his back on South Africa, 40 of them came in the Indian Premier League. One thousand and thirty-five runs later and there is no feeling that he started slowing down, even if RCB's wait for a title continues.

There were moments of controversy too. Selection for the 2015 World Cup semi-final was taken out of his hands when those above informed him Veron Philander would play instead of Kyle Abbot due to transformation targets.

^{De Villiers captained South Africa 126 times}

During an ODI series in India in the same year, he was caught in the middle of an episode around race when he took exception to the selection of Khaya Zondo for the fifth match in Mumbai. Dean Elgar was flown in to play as The Proteas win to clinch a 3-2 series success. The incident sparked an inquiry which eventually found that Zondo should have played the match.

Ever since De Villers hung up his international softs it felt like he was trying to find a way back. He reportedly declared himself available for selection 24 hours before the squad for the 2019 World Cup was announced but was overlooked by Cricket South Africa, who chose "morals and principles" over silverware. The team failed to reach the last four.

Months of campaigning to return in time for the T20 World Cup in 2021 ended with De Villiers in Mark Boucher's words "being concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been a part of the system". That feels like something he could have worked out before declaring his interest.

There was always something not quite right about those exchanges. De Villiers would often reveal an interest in returning, Boucher sounded receptive, talks would be proposed, and then nothing. You wonder how much willingness there ever was on both sides. Nevertheless, two World Cup campaigns were weaker without him.

It is for that reason why writing off a De Villiers return seems foolhardy. If indeed he has lost enthusiasm for the sport, it could be argued that absence often makes the heart grow fonder. If RCB suddenly go an overseas player down next year, would they dare?

For now, let's revel in the memories, full in the knowledge the next one might not be too far away.