“Would pick AB de Villiers if I have to pick one batsman for all formats,” Misbah ul Haq pays tribute to South African legend
Misbah ul Haq played a lot against each other as opposition captains
The former Pakistan captain Misbah UL Haq has said if he has to pick one batsman out of all batsmen for any kind of situation in any format of the game in any conditions, he would go with AB de Villiers because of his versatility.
Misbah, like many other former and current cricketers around the world, paid tribute to the living legend De Villiers as he bid adieu to the game of cricket at all levels after making his last appearance in the second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE.
AB de Villiers had this rare quality of playing at different strike rates in different situations as per the demands of his role. While he could go bonkers towards the end of a T20 innings and strike the ball at a strike rate of 250, he could also block the ball the whole day at one end if he was needed to do so to save a test match for his team.
AB de Villiers had shots for all kinds of pitches and conditions
De Villiers didn’t just have different gears, he could handle different conditions as well. He had enough shots in his arsenal to score runs against spinners if he was batting in the subcontinent and to go after the fast bowlers if he was batting in Australia as well.
If there ever was a player perfect for all three formats and all kinds of roles in a batting order, it was none other than De Villiers, which was what Misbah ul Haq tried to suggest with his tweet. Misbah, who also coached the Pakistan cricket team until recently, is considered one of the sharpest cricketing brains in Pakistan.
If I have to pick one batsman for all formats in any conditions against any apposition that will be surely @ABdeVilliers17 .One of the toughest competitor and a freak on the https://t.co/NRbyY61Z8u will surely miss https://t.co/A4SvmSGkJU wishes for you and your family. https://t.co/q4Abfjdv53
Advertisement— Misbah Ul Haq (@captainmisbahpk) November 19, 2021
AB de Villiers and Misbah never quite played their cricket together as even when De Villiers played in the PSL for Lahore Qalandars, Misbah was playing for Islamabad United, but Misbah had the opportunity to watch a lot of De Villiers’ knocks as an opposition captain from 2011 to 2015, which was also the peak of the international career of De Villiers.
