AB in devastating form

Boland Park is perhaps South Africa's prettiest cricket ground. It was rendered lovelier when AB de Villiers painted a picture on it on Wednesday.

At least, De Villiers' 176, his career-best in an ODl, was a pretty picture for South Africa's supporters.

Not so for the sizable contingent of Bangladeshi fans, who saw a fine innings
- but an innings that condemned their team to defeat by 104 runs and a series loss.

South Africa, who were put into bat for the third time in the four matches Bangladesh have played on tour, totalled 353/6, a record for this ground.

The visitors, bolstered by Imrul Kayes' 68 and Mushfiqur Rahim's 60, made it to 249 before they were dismissed in 47.5 overs. Andile Phehlukwayo took a career-best 4/40 and Imran Tahir claimed 3/50.

Not that Kayes or Mushfiqur, or many others anywhere in the game, would have been able to match De Villiers for dash, dare and dazzle.

That his opponents were the willing but wanting Bangladeshis aided and abetted his dominance, but any attack would have struggled to contain him in this mood.

De Villiers reached his century off 68 balls and in all faced 104. He hit 102 of his runs in fours and sixes, and he hit them with the kind of determination that suggested that he had come to prove a point.

Maybe he had. Having last played for South Africa in June, in what turned out to be his final game as South Africa's ODI captain, De Villiers cannot fail to have heard the whispered wonderings about whether he was still a key member of South Africa's team.

"Hell, yes!" Wednesday's innings yelled to the rooftops.