De Villiers celebrates 200-up in pyjamas

21 June 2016 - 10:10 By KHANYISO TSHWAKU

It comes as a surprise that AB de Villiers has played 200 one-day internationals for the Proteas since his debut against England in 2005 in Bloemfontein. However, they have come with their fair share of drama and unfinished business.THE GOODRunning out Simon Katich v Australia - 2006: He was initially picked as a wicketkeeper but with this run-out of Simon Katich he laid his marker as fielder of the highest quality. In one movement he collected, fell over and hit the one stump visible from short cover as Katich attempted a single off Andrew Hall.146 v West Indies - 2007: In what was a feast-or-famine 2007 World Cup for him, De Villiers lit up the National Cricket Stadium in St George's in Grenada with a delightful 130-ball maiden ODI century. At some point, he lost his footing due to severe cramp but belted 12 fours and five sixes. He collected four ducks, two 50s and a 42 along with his century in the competition.149 v West Indies - 2015: January 18 was the day De Villiers fused fierce hitting with amazing talent, racking up the fastest ODI 100 in just 31 balls at the Wanderers. It took Corey Anderson over 17 years to break Shahid Afridi's 37-ball effort set in 1996 when he took 36 balls to get to the mark. That record lasted just over a year until De Villiers beat it with five balls to spare.THE BAD70 v India - 2013: Had De Villiers not wasted his wicket, his 71-ball knock could have turned into something far more substantial. It was part of a collapse that saw SA fall from 182/3 to 188/6 while chasing 332 against India at the Sophia Gardens in the Champions Trophy. The result was a 26-run loss, highlighting the enormity of the dismissal.77 v Pakistan - 2015:Another case of De Villiers losing his nerve in a high-pressured chase, this time at last year's World Cup. He stood man alone against a rampaging Pakistan bowling attack in Auckland but, with ample time in a Duckworth-Lewis-adjusted chase of 229, he feathered a Sohail Khan bouncer to Sarfraz Ahmed to be ninth out with the score on 200.THE UGLYThe Mirpur run-out v New Zealand - 2011: Faf du Plessis shouldered the blame for this run-out but the loss of De Villiers' wicket for 35 accelerated South Africa's demise in what remains their worst choke - albeit on a difficult pitch. The single to New Zealand's best fielder, Martin Guptill, was ill-advised. The result was a formality.Missed run out v New Zealand - 2015: In a game of high tension, plenty of mistakes were made but none so glaring as De Villiers' missed run out of Anderson with New Zealand needing plenty of runs to win. It was a fumble that changed the game. Anderson went on to make a crucial 58, aiding and abetting Grant Elliott's 84 not out...

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