AB De Villiers: World Cricket's Batsman of the Month, October 2015

October was a pretty good month for batsmen around the world. The one-day series between India and South Africa dished up centuries aplenty. Pakistan’s batsmen made England’s bowlers toil, while Sri Lanka and the West Indies battled it out on low-scoring pitches.

It was temping to hand the gong to Misbah-ul-Haq based on the trick shot with which he foxed England. But this is a marathon not a sprint, although for AB de Villiers, it’s probably a really fast marathon because it seems there is nothing in the world he can't do. This is also why he is October’s batsman of the month.

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On trick-shot, #Misbah said.. #PakvsEng #PakvEng #JamesAnderson #AdilRashid pic.twitter.com/4UfJ0gqAua

— Aleena علینہ (@AnmolAleena) October 29, 2015"

He hit three centuries in five matches on South Africa’s one-day international tour of India, with his 119 off 61 by far the most impressive of the lot. While De Villiers might not play a trick shot like Misbah, he does produce similar tricks when he bats. De Villiers will often look as if he is lining up to play a drive and then reverse sweep instead. His ability to find space all along the ground is extraordinary.

All three centuries he scored against India saw runs evenly distributed all along the ground. De Villiers simply does not give bowlers or fielders any options when he’s having a good day.

After his third hundred, Quinton de Kock said on TV that this is the kind of thing the team “expects” of De Villiers now and it no longer surprises them.

The South African captain has had an incredible year. He averages 76.71 at a strike rate of 133.58. Only Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill have scored more runs than De Villiers this year.

Yet, it's nowhere near De Villiers' best-ever year in terms of average. That came in 2012 when he scored 645 runs at an average of 107.50 in 13 matches. It is, however, the most runs (1,193) he has ever scored in a calendar year in ODIs and the joint must hundreds (five) he has scored in a calendar year.

In the final ODI, De Villiers' strike rate against the spinners was 99. The rest of the South African batsmen combined had a strike rate of 64, further proving that even when the bowlers are strangling other batsmen, De Villiers will find a way to outshine them.

Perhaps the most remarkable statistic of De Villiers’ career is something news.com.au picked up on. As it stands, De Villiers is the only player in the world who averages more than 50 (54.21) at a strike rate above 100 (100.28). These stats only consider batsmen who have scored 500 runs or more in the format. If he keeps this up for his entire career, he’ll be the only player in the history of the game to have achieved this.

That De Villiers has maintained such consistency for nearly 200 one-day internationals makes him a truly special player. While he is already in his 30s, there is no reason why De Villiers should not continue playing for at least another five years—if he wants to, of course.