If you happen to be a South African cricket fan you’ll know that every time AB de Villiers comes to the crease the heart starts beating a little faster. What we are currently witnessing is a man so dominant that he is challenging for the title of the most talented player the world has ever seen.

The recent ODIs against India were another classic example of his freakish ability to fashion shots all around the wicket, the nickname of ‘Mr 360’ never seeming more apt. What did fly under the radar after the fifth ODI finished, AB clobbering 119 off 61 balls, was that he has just achieved what no other player in history ever has. Here’s news.au:

The 31-year-old’s knock saw him become the only player in the world (among those who have scored at least 500 ODI runs) to average more than 50 at a strike rate of more than 100 [runs per 100 balls faced] in one day internationals. At the end of the Indian bilateral series, de Villiers’ record makes for incredible reading — he averages 54.21 at a strike rate of 100.28.

If he maintains this record for the rest of his career he will become the only player in history to have managed such a feat, as no other player has ever finished with such stats to their name.

When Aussie sites are singing his praises and Indian fans chant his name you begin to realise just how special what we are witnessing really is. When one examines those stats above in relation to his peers things become even clearer:

To put de Villiers’ record into perspective, of the 17 players with higher strike rates in ODI history, only two have managed to average in the 40s. One is Bangladesh’s Soumya Sarkar, who averages 49.42 at a strike rate of 102.51, but he has only played 16 internationals. The other is Aussie all-rounder James Faulkner, who has an average of 42.84 and a strike rate of 113.37. But again, he has sustained that form for the relatively short period of 44 games compared to de Villiers’ 195 appearances.

The rest of the list sees averages ranging from the teens to the mid-30s, showing just how difficult it is to combine a high strike rate with a high average…

In short, AB de Villiers is one of a kind.

Proteas fans will remember a few years back when Dale Steyn was at the peak of his powers, the rest of the world watching on with envy as we skittled teams out in various conditions around the world. His powers might be waning a touch but we are only just beginning to get the best out of the precocious and unrivalled talent that is AB de Villiers.

Most sixes in a year? No problem, check THIS out.

Oh, and he was pretty decent at a few other things while I have you here…

[source:news.au]