Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli described team-mate AB de Villiers's stunning match-winning knock of 89 not out from just 41 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match as one of the best Twenty20 innings he has seen.
South African batsmen AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis are the only candidates to replace retiring captain Graeme Smith as the Test skipper of their team, according to a report.
Smith scored 144 and 142 in Australia's 251-run win at Edgbaston in his comeback Test after being banned for a year for his involvement in the infamous ball tampering scandal in South Africa.
Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers scored unbeaten half centuries to take South Africa to 244 for two at the close of the fourth day of the second Test against Australia on Monday.
A B de Villiers hit as many as five fours and six sixes, two of which landed out of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
An unbeaten century stand between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers put South Africa in control of the second Test as they opened up a 199-run lead with seven wickets in hand on the third day at the Wanderers on Saturday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the 3rd Test played between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town on Saturday
South Africa captain A B de Villiers on Saturday said his side is not too worried about the problems that India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could pose during their ICC Cricket World Cup match in Melbourne, on Sunday.
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood feels South African swashbuckler AB de Villiers will be the toughest batsman to bowl against at the World T20, given his compact technique and ability to score with innovative strokes.
AB de Villiers seems to make it a habit of being spectacular in whatever he does on a cricket field and the talismanic South African's gravity-defying catch in Thursday's Indian Premier League (IPL) match only added to his legend.
Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers have been recalled to South Africa's One-day international side for the visit of New Zealand later this month, but young wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has been axed after a poor run of form in Bangladesh.
Insisting that South Africa have come a long way from their 2015 World Cup semi-final defeat against New Zealand, captain AB de Villiers has exuded confidence on his team, saying they are ready for the Champions Trophy.
He replaces South African pacer Lungisani Ngidi, who was ruled out of IPL 2024 with injury.
South Africa wicketkeeper AB de Villiers will undergo hand surgery on Friday, but is expected to be fit for the upcoming series against Australia, a Cricket South Africa spokesman said on Thursday.
Captain Virat Kohli stayed in third to be the best-placed Indian batsman in the latest ICC ODI rankings issued in Dubai on Friday.
The world knows Virat Kohli as a prolific cricketer but for AB de Villiers, he is a friend, who has interests beyond cricket and is spiritual at one level.
AB de Villiers Opening the batting is an experiment for the World Twenty20, says Farhaan Behardien.
Here's a rundown on the leading run-getters and the ones with best strike rates in the T20 showpiece.
Contrasting centuries from Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers guided South Africa to a comprehensive 231-run victory over the Netherlands in their Group B match in Mohali on Thursday.
Captain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers smashed brisk half centuries to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a well-deserved 13-run victory over Rising Pune Supergiants in the Indian Premier League match, in Pune, on Friday.
South Africa's AB de Villiers removed the question mark over whether he could bat while also keeping wicket with a storming 169 on Sunday to help his country to the brink of a series triumph over Australia.
AB de Villiers might have turned out to be the hero for Royal Challengers Bangalore in their five-wicket win over Deccan Chargers on Sunday, but the South African instead lavished praise on openers Tillakaratne Dilshan and Chris Gayle for setting up the platform for the run chase.
'As I believe it, Ottis (Gibson, the head coach) and Faf (du Plessis, the captain) gave him opportunities to, say, 'Let's manage your workload going into the World Cup because we want you to play a World Cup'. He had a fair chance to manage that and he said no and that he is happy to retire and that's fair enough. And Faf accepted it, Ottis accepted it and they stood by it'
'It's time now to keep playing as much IPL and franchise cricket as I can'
South Africa captain AB de Villiers will turn to his senior players to help lift the team out of the doldrums after they suffered a 'big knock' to their confidence.
South Africa were 280 for 9, a lead of 229, after earlier struggling at 73-4, on day 3 in the first Test against New Zealand.
Stand-in skipper AB de Villiers led by example as South Africa eliminated England to reach the World Twenty20 semi-finals with a three-run victory in a Group One match in Chittagong on Saturday.
AB De Villiers required just 31 balls for his genius to propel him to the fastest ever one-day international century, a matchless masterclass that left even Chris Gayle bowing in admiration as South Africa walloped West Indies on Sunday.
'They are trying hard to get Virat Kohli to come back because the series is missing him.'
Indian batsman Virat Kohli broke Proteas star AB de Villiers's record to become the fastest batsman to reach 7000 runs in One-Day Internationals.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers came good when it mattered most as Royal Challengers Bangalore finally ended their losing run, with an emphatic 8 wicket win against Kings XI Punjab.
South Africa removed the West Indian openers in Sunday's last session at Newlands to build on AB de Villiers' superb century and take the initiative in the final Test.
RCB stand-in skipper Virat Kohli has heaped praise on AB de Villiers for his whirlwind 47 off 17 balls which helped them to beat Deccan Chargers by five wickets and keep their hopes alive of making it to the play-off in the fifth Indian Premier League.
Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers hit half-centuries to carry Royal Challengers Bangalore to an easy five-wicket victory against Kings XI Punjab.
He has been one of the most consistent performers in T20 cricket but JP Duminy feels that it is his compatriot AB de Villiers, who has changed the landscape of T20 batsmanship with his innovative shot-making.
South African captain AB de Villiers anchored his side's run chase as they beat New Zealand by six wickets at Wellington Regional Stadium on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their three-match One-day international series.
Akhtar criticised De Villiers for preferring cash-rich leagues when he should have made himself available for South Africa.
'I made no demands neither did I try to force myself into WC squad'
Kohli also reminded that merely getting De Villiers out won't ensure a Test match victory for India.
Phenomenal hitting by Chris Gayle and a brilliant batting at the rear by AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary capped a fantastic chase by Royal Challengers Bangalore as they beat Pune Warriors by six wickets in an IPL match in Bangalore on Tuesday.
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