AB de Villiers Height, Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More
| Bio/Wiki | |
| Full Name | Abraham Benjamin de Villiers |
| Nickname(s) | ABD, Mr. 360 |
| Profession | Cricketer (Batsman and Wicket-keeper) |
| Famous For | Hitting shots 360 degrees around the cricket ground
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| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 180 cm in meters– 1.80 m in feet inches– 5’ 11” |
| Weight (approx.) | in kilograms– 75 kg in pounds– 165 lbs |
| Body Measurements (approx.) | – Chest: 40 inches – Waist: 32 inches – Biceps: 14 inches |
| Eye Colour | Blue |
| Hair Colour | Golden Brown |
| Cricket | |
| International Debut | ODI– 2 February 2005 against England at Bloemfontein Test– 17 December 2004 against England at Port Elizabeth T20– 24 February 2006 against Australia at Johannesburg |
| Jersey Number | #17 (South Africa) #17 (Domestic) |
| Domestic/State Team | Africa XI, Barbados Tridents, Delhi Daredevils, Northerns, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Titans |
| Coach/Mentor | Dean Botes |
| Favourite Shot | Pull shot |
| Records (main ones) | • The 2nd youngest and the 2nd fastest South African to reach 1,000 Test runs, after Graeme Pollock. • He holds the record of hitting the fastest 50 & 100 in an ODI. • Record of reaching 7000 runs in minimum ODI matches. • Holds the record of hitting maximum sixes in an ODI inning along with Rohit Sharma. • Record of the fastest ODI 150, off 64 balls, in February 2015. • Record of the fastest ODI century, off 31 balls, against West Indies in January 2015. |
| Awards/Achievements | 2010: ICC ODI Player of the Year
 2014: ICC ODI Player of the Year, South African Cricketer of the Year  2015: ICC ODI Player of the Year, South African Cricketer of the Year, Cricketers’ Cricketer of the Year, SA Fan’s Cricketer of the Year, So Good Award  |
| Career Turning Point | His performance for the Titans in the 2003-04 season, after which he was selected in the South African Test squad against the visiting team England. |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 17 February 1984 |
| Age (as in 2018) | 34 Years |
| Birthplace | Bela-Bela, South Africa |
| Zodiac sign/Sun sign | Aquarius |
| Signature |
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| Nationality | South African |
| Hometown | Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa |
| School | Warmbaths Primary School, Bela-Bela Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Afrikaans Boys’ High School), Pretoria |
| College/University | N/A |
| Educational Qualification | High School graduate |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Food Habit | Non-Vegetarian |
| Address | A bungalow in Durban, South Africa |
| Hobbies | Singing, Travelling, Swimming, Golfing |
| Controversies | In April 2015, when AB was the ODI skipper of South Africa, an alleged quota controversy propelled after South Africa lost to New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup semi-final. South Africa’s high-performance coach Mike Horn admitted that the team management was forced to select Vernon Philander in place of the in-form Kyle Abbott during the World Cup to meet the quota targets. |
| Girls, Affairs & More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Affair/Girlfriend | Danielle de Villiers (Social Worker) |
| Marriage Date | 30 March 2013
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| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Danielle de Villiers (m. 2013-present)
 |
| Children | Sons– Abraham de Villiers (born in 2015), John Richard de Villiers (born in 2017)
 Daughter– None |
| Parents | Father– Abraham B de Villiers Mother– Millie De Villiers  |
| Siblings | Brothers– Jan de Villiers (Elder), Wessels de Villiers (Elder)
 Sister– None |
| Favourite Things | |
| Favourite Cricketer(s) | Batsman– Virat Kohli Bowler– Gerrit Deist, Wasim Akram Fielder– Jonty Rhodes |
| Favourite Cricket Ground | SuperSport Park, Centurion, South Africa |
| Favourite Football Team | Manchester United F.C. |
| Favourite Athlete(s) | Roger Federer (Tennis), Tiger Woods (Golf) |
| Favourite Food(s) | Pasta, Sea food |
| Favourite Beverage | Red wine |
| Favourite Actor | Brad Pitt |
| Favourite Actress | Kate Beckinsale |
| Favourite Film(s) | Gladiator, A River Runs Through It |
| Favourite TV Show | The Voice SA |
| Favourite Band | Snow Patrol |
| Style Quotient |
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| Cars Collection | Audi Q7, BMW X5 |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary (as in 2018) | Retainer Fee– $363,000 Test Fee– $6,925 ODI Fee– $1,900 T20 Fee– $911 IPL 11– $2.21 million or ₹11 crore |
| Net Worth (approx.) | $20 million |
Some Lesser Known Facts About AB de Villiers
- Does AB de Villiers smoke?: No
- Does AB de Villiers drink alcohol?: Yes
- AB was born into a sports-loving family, who always encouraged him to play sports.
AB de Villiers Childhood Photo
- As a kid, he used to play various sports, such as- cricket, badminton, tennis, squash, swimming, football, golf, and rugby, but sooner he developed a fondness for cricket.
AB de Villiers In School Days
- He was a prankster as a kid and was once expelled from the school for playing pranks.
- AB and Faf du Plessis have been best friends since childhood.
AB de Villiers And Faf du Plessis
- After playing 16 first-class games, he made his debut for South Africa at the age of 20.
- He considers South African ace fielder, Jonty Rhodes, as his inspiration.
- Until 2008, he used to be a rash batsman who could easily throw away his wicket, and never played up to his caliber. In April 2008, after his average performance in the 1st Test against England at the Lord’s, the South African skipper Graeme Smith and coach Mickey Arthur gave him an ultimatum. AB took the criticism positively and scored a match-winning 174 runs in the 2nd Test of the series in Headingley and cemented his place in the team.
- Music is an integral part of his life and in 2010, he collaborated with singer and songwriter Ampie Du Preez, and released a bi-lingual English/ Afrikaans album called ‘Maak Jou Drome Waar’ or ‘Make Your Dreams Come True.’
- On 18 January 2015, he set the breathtaking fastest ODI century record, off 31 balls, against West Indies at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
- He couldn’t stop his tears from coming out and cried on the field when South Africa lost in the nail-biting World Cup 2015 semi-final match against New Zealand.
- Jonty Rhodes once revealed that AB wanted to retire from Test cricket in 2016, but Cricket South Africa urged him not to retire.
- In September 2016, he released his autobiography “AB: The Autobiography” in English and Afrikaans.
AB de Villiers – AB…The Autobiography
- There have been fake stories on the internet about his multi-sport talent and glories related to it, but in his autobiography, he revealed that during his school days, he set an Under-9 breaststroke record, and was national No.1 in tennis, in his age group.
- Because of his highly innovative shots around the cricket ground, he has earned nicknames like “Mr. 360” and “Superman.”
- He supports ‘Make a Difference Foundation’ that supports selected scholars from different fields in South Africa.
- On 23 May 2018, he left the cricket fans all over the world stunned after announcing his decision to retire from international cricket, via a video message, stating that he had “run out of gas” or he had lost energy to play cricket.
