The former Proteas skipper and one of the greatest batsmen of all time AB de Villiers is a nightmare to the bowlers when he gets going. The flexibility and the reflexes he possesses are second to none. The former South Africa wicket-keeper can generate power from the back foot to hit the ball down the ground for a six which very few batsmen in the history of cricket could do. He is a modern marvel in cricket history.
One of the main reasons that bowlers found it difficult to bowl to de Villiers is that he has 3 to 4 shots for a ball that is bowled at him which led to him being heralded as Mr.360 in world cricket.
Here we take a look at 3 batsmen who have shown the ability to play shots similar to AB de Villiers.
3 Modern Day Players Who Can Be The Next AB de Villiers
Glenn Maxwell
The “Big-Show”, as he is fondly called in the cricket circuit is one of the dangerous hitters of the cricket ball. He is a tailor-made batsman for the shortest format of the game. Over the years, Glenn Maxwell has earned the reputation of one of the feared hitters in the T20 format.
He possesses the timing and power to go with the magical ability to hit the ball over the keeper’s head, reverse sweep for a six-over point, reverse scoops for a 4 over third man region and whatnot.
Suryakumar Yadav
Not many would have expected this name to come up in this list but such is the class of Mumbai captain. Though Surya hasn’t played top-level cricket at least once in his entire career, he has showcased his immense hitting ability in the greatest franchise league of all time the Indian Premier League where all the world-class bowlers take part in it.
His ability to sweep the fast bowlers at ease for a six is something that makes Mr.360 of cricket very proud. He has got a good back-foot game to go with the majestic front-foot game. When it comes to 360-degree hitting, one cannot discount the ability and the skill set this man possess.
Dewald Brevis
Dewald Brevis from South Africa is known as Baby AB by his teammates for the striking resemblance with the legendary former Proteas captain.
Brevis burst onto the scene at the U-19 World Cup when he displayed his ability to score at a good clip irrespective of the field set against him, courtesy of his brilliant timing and strokeplay. He started off the tournament with a fantastic half-century against India in the opening game and caught everyone’s attention not only for his batting abilities but his stance as well as both reminded everyone of AB de Villiers.
In fact, after he got to his half-century against India, his teammates held up a placard saying ‘Baby AB’ as they cheered him on from the sidelines. The similarities between the two cricketers are so evident that even AB noticed it.
