AB de Villiers: The 360-Degree Batter and the Fastest ODI Century in History
AB de Villiers (South Africa) scored the fastest ODI century in history — 31 balls vs West Indies in Johannesburg on 18 January 2015. He scored 149* off 44 balls. Known as 'Mr 360' for his ability to hit every bowler to any part of the ground in any direction, de Villiers retired from international cricket in May 2018 aged 34, citing burnout. He scored 8,765 Test runs at 50.66 and 9,577 ODI runs at 53.50 — the only male batter with Test and ODI averages above 50.
AB de Villiers is the only male international cricketer to average above 50 in both Tests (50.66) and ODIs (53.50). He played for South Africa from 2004 to 2018 and for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL until 2021. His nickname 'Mr 360' refers to his ability to hit the ball to any part of the ground — he invented shots (the upper-cut sweep, the ramp over the wicketkeeper) that had rarely been played before.
The 31-Ball Century
On 18 January 2015 at the Wanderers, Johannesburg, de Villiers played one of cricket's most extraordinary innings against West Indies. Entering at 247/3 in the 43rd over, he scored 149* off 44 balls — 16 sixes and 9 fours. His century came in 31 balls, breaking his own previous ODI hundred record (36 balls, also against West Indies). South Africa scored 439/2 — the highest ODI total at the time. The innings is regularly voted the greatest ODI innings in history alongside Kapil Dev's 175* (1983 WC) and Tendulkar's 98 vs Pakistan (2003 WC).
Retirement and Controversy
De Villiers retired abruptly in May 2018 at age 34, citing exhaustion and a desire to spend time with family. The announcement shocked Cricket South Africa (CSA), which had not been given advance notice. In 2019, he offered to return to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup; CSA declined, citing fairness to the players who had taken his place. The decision remains controversial in South Africa. He continued playing T20 franchise cricket (IPL for RCB until 2021) while unavailable for the national team — a situation that drew criticism from former players who argued he prioritised T20 earnings over Test cricket.
Frequently asked questions
How does AB de Villiers's 31-ball century fit into the broader evolution of T20 and ODI batting acceleration, and has the record been challenged since?
Fastest ODI centuries: historical context and records update. The record for fastest ODI century has been contested multiple times. Historical progression: 1994 – Mark Boucher's precursor centuries were in the 60–70 ball range. 2007 – Shahid Afridi held the record at 37 balls (vs Sri Lanka, Nairobi, 1996). 2014 – Corey Anderson (NZ) scored 36 balls vs West Indies, Queenstown, 26 Jan 2014 — breaking Afridi's 18-year record. 2015 – AB de Villiers scored 31 balls vs West Indies, Johannesburg, 18 Jan 2015 — the current world record. Since 2015: no batsman has scored an ODI century in fewer than 31 balls. The closest challenges have come from: Glenn Maxwell (Australia) — 40 balls several times in IPL-style attacks. Virat Kohli — his fastest ODI century was 52 balls. Jos Buttler — 46 balls, fastest by an England batter. The difficulty of breaking 31: an ODI century in 31 balls means a strike rate of approximately 323. It requires virtually every ball to be a boundary (the batting team scored 39 runs off 13 non-scoring balls in de Villiers's innings). This is only achievable against a weakened bowling attack, in batting-friendly conditions (Wanderers pitch is fast and true), with a team already in a commanding position (no need to preserve wickets), and a batsman with extraordinary instinct and power. The T20 context: in T20Is, many batters score 30-ball half-centuries (50 runs off 30 balls), but a full century off 31 balls requires sustained acceleration beyond even T20 standards.