Where is ex-Proteas big hitter ‘Mr 360’ AB de Villiers now?

AB de Villiers earned the nickname 'Mr 360' for his ability to hit big and clear any boundary against any bowler.

Sep 12, 2024 - 02:00
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Where is ex-Proteas big hitter ‘Mr 360’ AB de Villiers now?

AB de Villiers remains the most famous cricketer to ever come out of the country.

During his Indian Premier League (IPL) career, De Villiers earned the nickname ‘Mr 360’ for his ability to hit big and clear any boundary against any bowler.

AB de Villiers made his debut at age 20 back in 2004 against England but struggled somewhat in his first three years. Once he found consistency, Mr 360 was a regular in the One Day International team as well as the Test and ODI teams.

In the 2011 World Cup, de Villiers became the first South African to score two successive centuries. Although the Proteas were knocked out in the quarter-finals, the Bela Bela-born player had reached his peak. For the next coming years, he’ll top the ODI and Test ranking and was often regarded as the best player in the world from 2012-2015.

AB de Villiers has his own podcast.

In 2017, AB stepped down from captaining the national limited-overs games with Faf Du Plessis taking over.

AB de Villiers was a joy to watch with the bat

In May 2018, he broke many South Africans’ hearts by announcing his retirement from all forms of international cricket. He still played in the IPL for several seasons before retiring from all forms of cricket in November 2021.

Earlier this year, De Villiers revealed the real reason why he retired from international cricket a year before the World Cup. As per Wion News, the man known as ‘Mr 360’, said he played the last few years in international cricket with a detached retina.

“Covid certainly played a role, there’s no doubt about it. From an international perspective, the 2015 World Cup hurt big time. It took me a while to get over that and then, when I got back into the side and I was ready to commit, I didn’t feel the same culture that I really needed at that time,” he said.

After retiring from cricket, the former Proteas big hitter has worked as a commentator and ambassador. He also started his own YouTube channel called “ABD360” where he interviews current and former cricketers. In December 2023, AB de Villiers was appointed as the SA20 brand ambassador.

Where does AB rank in terms of the greatest cricketers of all time?

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