De Villiers scoops the pool at SA awards

Proteas superstar AB de Villiers has capped off a stunning year by winning five awards, including Player of the Year for the second time in a row, at Cricket South Africa’s annual awards evening.

De Villiers was also named Castle Lager ODI Cricketer of the Year while his peers and his fans honoured him by voting for him as SA Players’ Player of the Year and SA Fans’ Player of the Year respectively.

He also received the KFC So Good Award for scoring the fastest century in the history of ODI Cricket against West Indies in January.

“AB is just so special and surely he must be the best all-round cricketer in the world,” said CSA Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat.

“His performances are sheer class and his No.2 ranking in Test match cricket and No.1 in ODI cricket only tells a part of his amazing skills.

“He has always been an entertainer and a trendsetter while at the same time he has that unique ability to dig really deep when it matters.

“AB de Villiers has modestly taken limited-overs batting to a new level and he has done it with style and panache that is simply beyond the reach of most.

“He is a true batting genius. He now holds the world records for the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODI cricket.

“We are proud of the scale of his achievements and, more importantly, the manner in which he does it.”

De Villiers lit up the World Cup with his dazzling array of shot-making, highlighted by an innings in the pool stages against West Indies in which a remarkable late burst saw him scores the fastest-ever 150 in ODIs, from just 64 balls.

The previous month, against the same opposition, he lowered the world record for the fastest ODI hundred to a staggering 31 balls, while he also blazed match-winning hundreds against Sri Lanka and Australia last July and August respectively.

In Tests, he broke the world record for fifties in consecutive matches, extending the existing mark by one match to 12 with a century against Australia in Port Elizabeth.

Last month, India’s Virat Kohli declared de Villiers “the best player in the world by far”, while Australia’s David Warner recently stated he was “not in the same category” as the South African.

De Villiers last week declared his unavailability for the Proteas’ tour of Bangladesh, with the 31-year-old awaiting the birth of his first child.

His withdrawal from the tour means he will miss his first Test for South Africa since his debut in December 2004, ending a streak of 98 consecutive matches.

Other notable award winners from the event were Hashim Amla (Test Player of the Year) and Rilee Rossouw (SA Newcomer of the Year).