From ABD to Superman - An amazing journey in pictures
A hypercoaster story, that bloomed and gloomed through the years, was finally brought to end by the hero of the epic himself, Abraham Benjamin De Villiers. An enigmatic cricketer who was loved by many, de Villiers transformed the way aggressive batting was perceived, blending art with brute in an unconventional, yet highly effective manner.
As he retires from international cricket, here's revisiting his career through a series of pictures:
2004-2006: Getting a taste of international cricket
A 20-year-old de Villiers was pushed into the Proteas playing XI, alongside rookie pacer Dale Steyn against England at Port Elizabeth in the final month of 2004. Blonde-haired, he opened the batting with captain Graeme Smith and was immediately tasked with steering the ship after Smith's second-ball duck. He ended with 28 in the first innings and 14 in the second.
In the very next game, he was thrust with wicket-keeping gloves and left an impression with a dogged, unbeaten 52 in the fourth innings of his career. He picked up a total of five catches in the game, including four in the second innings.
From his first series against England in late-2004 to the ICC World Cup in 2007, the South African side won seven out of ten Test series and eight out of 11 ODI series. De Villiers hit his maiden century in his fifth game, at Centurion, compiling 109 off 169 balls.
He made his ODI debut a few months later, in February 2005, against England, and opened the batting with Graeme Smith, scoring a sedate 20.