South Africa star’s five greatest moments

AB de Villiers hits his career-best Test score of 278 not out against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi. At the time it was the highest score by a South African in Test cricket.

With South Africa chasing a target of 430, he withstands 220 deliveries on the final day of a Test match against Australia in Adelaide. South Africa draw the match and go on to win the series.

De Villiers hits 149 off just 44 balls against the West Indies in Johannesburg. The innings breaks two world records: the quickest ODI half-century (16 balls), and the fastest ODI century (31 balls).

With South Africa 1-0 down in his final Test series, AB hits 126 not out in the second Test. South Africa win the match and go on to win a series overshadowed by ball-tampering.

In one of his final IPL appearances, De Villiers takes a stunning one-handed “Spider-man” catch on the boundary for Bangalore. It typified his outstanding fielding record.

considers the most fulfilling period of his Test career: the two series victories over India and Australia, after his two-year Test hiatus, amounted to a postscript which embellished the legend.

“I was very happy. It was a great way to finish off.” He had made good on what sustained him: “A deep desire to do something special.”

Several more years playing, free of the unrelenting scrutiny in international cricket, now awaits. There will be more chances to explore other opportunities, including with the new UAE T20 league, which begins in December and aims to galvanise cricket in emerging nations. But, more than anything, now there will be much more time for his young family.

As De Villiers departs from international cricket, he invites the question of whether the new generation will be able to thrive across the game’s myriad forms. “I think it’s possible to have a career in all three formats today, but if you want to break big records, it’s getting harder and harder to achieve that.”

De Villiers has not merely enjoyed a magnificent career; he has also achieved a mastery of three distinct games that may only have been possible at a very specific juncture in cricket’s history. And so, for all the sadness of his international retirement, cricket’s great fortune is that stupendous talent and drive, allied to serendipitous timing, allowed De Villiers to be both the most coveted wicket in the IPL and enjoy such a fertile Test career too.

AB de Villiers is the global ambassador for UAE T20x, taking place in the UAE from Dec 19 until Jan 11.