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AB De Villiers Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 15, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth17 February 1984

Age38 Years

BirthplaceBela-Bela, South Africa

ProfessionCricketer (Batsman and Wicket-keeper)

NationalitySouth African

Marital statusMarried

SpouseDanielle De Villiers

FamilyTwo sons: Abraham (b. 2015) and John Richard (b. 2017)

Net worth$20 million

AB De Villiers Biography

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers, known widely as AB de Villiers or 'Mr. 360', is a retired South African cricketer celebrated for his inventive batting and as

Early life and background

Abraham Benjamin de Villiers was born on 17 February 1984 in Bela-Bela, South Africa, and grew up in a sports-focused family. He attended Warmbaths Primary School in Bela-Bela and later Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria. As a child he played many sports — including cricket, tennis, swimming, football, golf, badminton, squash and rugby — and developed an early preference for cricket. He has two older brothers, Jan and Wessels de Villiers, and his parents are Abraham B. de Villiers and Millie de Villiers.

Career

De Villiers made his international Test debut for South Africa on 17 December 2004 against England and his ODI debut on 2 February 2005 against England. His T20 international debut came on 24 February 2006 against Australia. After 16 first-class matches he broke into the national side at age 20 and went on to establish himself as one of the game’s most inventive batsmen.

Nicknamed both ABD and "Mr. 360," de Villiers earned the latter for the full range of shots he played around the ground. He combined explosive stroke-making with athletic wicket-keeping and outstanding fielding. His preferred shot was the pull, but his repertoire included many unconventional strokes that redefined modern limited-overs batting.

Throughout his playing career he represented a number of domestic and franchise teams, including Northerns, Titans, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils, Barbados Tridents and Africa XI. He wore the number 17 jersey for South Africa and domestically.

De Villiers set several notable records in limited-overs cricket. He produced the fastest ODI century at the time—31 balls—against the West Indies at the Wanderers in January 2015, and set the record for the fastest ODI 150 in February 2015. He also holds records for scoring milestones quickly in ODIs and for hitting a large number of sixes in an innings alongside Rohit Sharma. His rapid rise in Test cricket included being among the youngest South Africans to reach 1,000 Test runs.

His performances earned multiple international accolades: ICC ODI Player of the Year in 2010, 2014 and 2015; South African Cricketer of the Year in 2014 and 2015; and in 2015 he was also named Cricketers' Cricketer of the Year and SA Fan's Cricketer of the Year.

De Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket via a video message on 23 May 2018, and later, on 19 November 2021, he confirmed his retirement from all forms of cricket. In October 2022 he stated that after surgery on his right eye he would not return to playing cricket.

Public profile

Off the field, de Villiers has explored interests beyond cricket. He released a bilingual English/Afrikaans album in 2010 in collaboration with singer-songwriter Ampie Du Preez, reflecting a long-standing interest in music. In September 2016 he published an autobiography, AB: The Autobiography, available in both English and Afrikaans.

He is known for charitable involvement and supports the Make a Difference Foundation, which helps selected scholars in South Africa. De Villiers has been open about the emotional highs and lows of his career; for example, he publicly expressed his heartbreak after South Africa’s narrow loss to New Zealand in the 2015 World Cup semi-final.

Personal life

De Villiers married Danielle de Villiers, a social worker, on 30 March 2013. The couple have two sons: Abraham (born 2015) and John Richard (born 2017). He is based in Pretoria, Gauteng, and has been described as a non-vegetarian who enjoys singing, travelling, swimming and golfing. His favorite cricket ground is SuperSport Park in Centurion and among his sporting inspirations are Jonty Rhodes and Roger Federer.

Latest updates

Following his international departure, de Villiers remained connected to the game through franchise appearances and public engagements. He announced in 2022 that he could not resume playing after surgery on his right eye and spoke about plans to visit Bengaluru’s Chinnaswamy Stadium to thank Royal Challengers Bangalore fans rather than play. By November 2021 he had formalized his retirement from all forms of cricket.
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Recent Work

AB: The Autobiography

Autobiography published in English and Afrikaans.

2016
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Career Highlights

  1. Test debut for South Africa on 17 December 2004
  2. ODI debut on 2 February 2005
  3. T20I debut on 24 February 2006
  4. Fastest ODI century (31 balls) against West Indies in January 2015
  5. Multiple ICC ODI Player of the Year awards (2010, 2014, 2015)
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Net Worth

$20 million

Figures are editorial estimates based on publicly available reporting and may change as new information emerges.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was AB De Villiers born?

17 February 1984

What is AB De Villiers known for?

Cricketer (Batsman and Wicket-keeper)

What is AB De Villiers’s marital status?

Married

Who is AB De Villiers married to?

Danielle De Villiers

What is AB De Villiers’s net worth?

$20 million