AB de Villiers had a normal day in the office, shattering records and delighting fans as he has done for years. His 162 off just 66 deliveries against West Indies in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 showed his violent tendencies, reminiscent of the Marvel superhero The Punisher. Shiamak Unwalla has more…
There are very few commonalities between AB de Villiers and Frank Castle, alter ego of The Punisher. However, while de Villiers is a cheerful, friendly entertainer (the fairer sex may even use the word “cute”), Castle is a mean, vengeful criminal-hunter. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
And yet, once de Villiers comes in to bat, he transforms into someone else entirely. The piece of wood in his hands morphs into an assault rifle, a bazooka, and a grenade launcher rolled into one — for the bowler anyway. The amiable smile remains, but to the fielders, it is the smile of death. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The Punisher hunts down criminals and executes them with complete ruthlessness. He spares no lives and shows no mercy. De Villiers hunts down bowlers with a similar single-minded approach. He, too, spares no bowler, and executes their economy rates with ruthless aggression. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
The Punisher isn’t the strongest or the fastest superhero. He uses his skills to overcome foes much stronger than himself, invariably using their advantages against them. Similarly, de Villiers rarely uses brute force to muscle sixes; he relies instead on superhuman levels of strength and dexterity to innovate and manufacture shots. He uses the bowlers’ speed against them by scooping and guiding the ball with complete control and efficiency. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Brendon McCullum scythes and slashes his runs like Wolverine, while on the other hand Chris Gayle is a behemoth akin to The Hulk. But AB de Villiers finds new and terrifying ways to wreak havoc like The Punisher. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 is unmasking cricket’s superheroes one by one. It remains to be seen who Batman, Superman, and the rest will turn out to be. One can only hope it will be bowler.
(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)
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