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AB De Villiers: Have they cloned Jonty Rhodes?

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Andrew Hughes looks at that rising star of South African cricket that is AB De Villiers and tells us why he reminds him of another athletic, stocky, middle order South African batsman...

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers is a natural ball-player. His reflexes, fast-twitch muscle fibre and hand-eye co-ordination are the physical gifts that nature has bestowed on him. He might have used them to seek fame on the rugby pitch, the tennis court or the golf course, sports at which he excelled in his youth. Fortunately for cricket fans, he chose to display his considerable talent with a slice of seasoned willow.

Under six foot and stocky, his batting revolves around timing more than technique, a style he shares with Herschelle Gibbs, though without Gibbs' fragile personality. In recent months he has ditched his Pietersen-like crouch and forward press, in favour of standing taller at the wicket, with just an initial backwards shuffle rather than the orthodox back and across. This may not please the purists but it has made him more solid defensively without curbing his attacking range. His cover driving is beautifully neat and simple, he cuts with ease and strength and has learned to sweep spinners into submission. His trademark is the hook, a full bodied stroke in which he makes no attempt to keep the ball down, but almost seems to climb up into the shot, wrapping his bat around it and launching the ball far over the boundary.

Like most natural ball-players, he is a first-class fielder. South Africa have a long tradition of excellent fielding, going back to the great Colin Bland. Inevitably de Villiers has been compared with a more recent whippet in the field, Jonty Rhodes. Rhodes was unquestionably brilliant and is credited with reinventing modern fielding as an attacking rather than defensive discipline. His groundwork was flashy and his catching could be spectacular as demonstrated in this clip from 1993 But though de Villiers is a different character who goes about his fielding in a laid-back, less showy manner, he has the potential to equal Rhodes. Just take a look at this mind-boggling run-out of Simon Katich from last year's World Cup

Of course, he may not be patrolling the covers for much longer. He is being groomed to take over the wicket-keeping gloves from Mark Boucher, a responsibility he has already fulfilled twice in Tests. His versatility also extends to his batting position and he has shown himself equally adept at opening and batting as low down as seven. In fact he fulfilled all three roles in his very first series when, at the age of 20, he was plucked out of provincial cricket to face a touring England side. He scored his maiden Test century in the fifth match of that series and has not looked back, becoming the second fastest and second youngest South African to reach 1000 Test runs and cementing his place in a resurgent side that now stand on the verge of second place in the ICC rankings.

Having mastered the featherbeds of the subcontinent and the green tracks of New Zealand, it will be fascinating to see how well he copes with the swinging ball when South Africa tour England this summer. His trademark down on one knee six hitting is sure to light up many limited overs games as will his breathtaking fielding.

In the meantime, he can help seal a series victory over India. Confronted with an unexpectedly green wicket in Ahmedabad, the hosts crumbled against the pace of Steyn, Ntini and Morkel. In an effort to hit back in kind, they have recalled Ishant Sharma and dropped the ineffectual RP Singh. But with Tendulkar ruled out and captain Kumble to undergo a fitness test, they face a tall order in trying to level the series at Kanpur, a venue that has seen twelve draws in sixteen Tests since 1960. Understandably, the stalemate is favourite at [2.42] Given that South Africa have already shown they have the tools to rack up big scores on dead pitches, perhaps India's only hope is that the notorious Kanpur smog will hamper the visitors. You can back the home side at [2.86] with the Proteas on [4.1]

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