AB de Villiers

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Born on February 17, 1984, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers has rose from the ranks to become one of the world's best batsmen, across all formats. When on song, de Villiers can take any bowling apart with his wide array of strokes on either side of the wicket. If his drives, pulls and cuts are pleasing to the eye, his ability to innovate has left bowlers hapless on many occasions.

A talented sportsman, de Villiers has not just excelled in cricket, but has also proved himself in other sports such as golf, rugby and tennis. Cricket was his passion though, and it soon turned out to be his chosen field for higher avenues. De Villiers spent his formative years with Nashua Titans, the Pretoria based franchise.

His supreme ability caught the eye of the selectors as he was fast-tracked into the national squad at an early age of 20. He made his Test debut against England in Port Elizabeth and showed his class with a fine knock of 52 in just his fourth innings with the bat, saving South Africa from what looked like a certain defeat. He registered his first century during the same series, a fine 109 on his home ground in Centurion.