A majority of Australian players missing the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 may be a bummer for fans, but watching AB De Villiers smash bowlers around the park is something they will look forward to eagerly. His return to T20 cricket lived up to the hype as we got to see him play the switch hit flawlessly.
In the inaugural match of Mzansi Super League between Cape Town Blitz and Tshwane Spartans, De Villiers scored 59 runs from 30 deliveries, including three fours and five sixes. He was right on the money straightaway wreaking havoc on the bowlers.
In the 11th over of the innings, he decided to unsettle the left-arm spinner who got the wicket of Dean Elgar on the second ball of his first over. On the fourth ball, ABD struck a six while playing a switch hit over square of the wicket. It looked like a proper slog sweep shot from a left-handed batsman as the ball travelled a long distance, not just crossing the boundary but going straight into the crowd.
@ABdeVilliers17 started the campaign with these sixes.
Awesome Hitting.#MSLT20 #ABD pic.twitter.com/RtgSirDLpX— Mr.Perfect (@mr_perfect278) November 17, 2018
Chasing a target of 181, the 34-year-old carried his team Tshawne Spartans on his back. Only three batsmen crossed the double digit mark. Till the time De Villiers was on crease, their hopes to win the match were alive. He got out in the 15th over and two quick wickets ensured that they suffer a batting collapse.
Spartans lost the match by 49 runs but the crowd got to see what they came for, fireworks from the man whose fans have longed to watch in action after his international retirement. He also became the first South African batsman to hit 300 sixes in T20 cricket. He is on #9 on the list of cricketers with most sixes in the format.
It is confirmed that the South African batsman will play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2019. The retained star player is a crowd puller, and one of the major attractions in the upcoming season, in the absence of most Australian players.
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