Who is the new de Villiers from South Africa going viral on the internet?
Matthew de Villiers is going viral on social media due to his uncanny resembalance with former South African skipper AB de Villiers. He is now called the 'new de Villiers' of South African cricket.
From the onset of the below clip, Matthew could be seen warming up before entering the field just like the 40-year-old. He donned the same jersey No. 17, share a similar stance, and looked like a copy of de Villiers while playing backfoot punches and pull shots.
Watch the clip here:
Matthew de Villiers has just started out his first-class career for Warriors and looks like a bright prospect for the Proteas in the future.
Meanwhile, AB de Villiers retired from the sport in 2021 after scoring over 20,000 runs across all formats, with 47 centuries. He is also widely known as Mr. 360, due to his ability to score runs all around the park.
On that note, let's know more about the 'new de Villiers' who has impressed the fans with his playing style.
Matthew de Villiers' journey before going viral
Born on November 21, 2000, Matthew de Villiers went to Wynberg Boys High School to study. At an age of 15, he was a part of the School’s 1st XI in grade 10. His final year at the school saw him leading the side, the same honor the legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis held in 90s.
Since the age-group cricket, Matthew was known as an attacking middle-order batter, and a gun fielder with an accurate throwing arm. He is also a useful right-arm medium-pace bowler.
In 2019, Matthew de Villiers joined Oakmere CC in UKFast Cheshire Cricket League. He slammed 536 runs in 19 innings with a top score of 115, and also scalped 15 wickets. Later, he played his trade with Claremont CC in Cape Town and amassed 924 runs in 22 innings at an average of 61.60, including three hundreds.
During his stint with Hambledon CC in the ECB Southern Premier League Div 2 2022, Matthew accumulated 1,295 runs at an astonishing average of 92.50. The talented seamer also took 28 wickets. Interesting, he became the batter in 17 years to score over 1,000 runs in a single Southern Premier League season.
The right-hander emerged as the Claremont Cricket Club’s leading run-scorer in the 2022-23 WPCA Premier League with 762 runs in 17 innings.
Matthew played for Longridge CC in the ECB Northern Premier League in 2023 and scored 1,532 runs and took 46 wickets. While playing for HBS CC in The Netherlands, Matthew de Villiers scored 740 runs and picked up 22 wickets in the 2024 season.
Owing to his supreme performances over the years in club cricket, Matthew was offered a high-performance contract by the Warriors in May 2024. He made his first-class debut in the CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 on October 31.
In his only first game, the right-hander returned with knocks of 94 & 58 against North West. His latest outing saw him earn a shot at fame with his 87-run knock in the second innings against Boland due to his resembalance with AB de Villiers.