ODI Cricket: Top 10 greatest batting streaks

#2 AB de Villiers (South Africa): 2013-2016

South Africa v West Indies - 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup

Matches: 48, Runs: 2726, Average: 77.88, Highest: 162*, 100/50: 10/14, Strike-Rate: 122.

After the end of his first streak, de Villiers had a little bit of slump: 12 matches to be precise. But AB is not the kind of man you can keep quiet for a long time. Starting from the fifth ODI against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013, de Villiers went on an absolute tear, one that would see him redefine ODI batting.

Between November 2013 and March 2016, de Villiers played 48 matches and scored 2726 runs at an average of 78 at a ridiculous strike-rate of 122. It included 10 hundreds and 14 half-centuries. During this period, de Villiers averaged above 60 in 10 of the 12 series he played.

De Villiers was the captain of South Africa during this entirety, and sometimes wicket-keeper and part time bowler as well. He scored the fastest ODI fifty and hundred against West Indies in January 2015 and the fastest 150 against the same opposition in March 2015.

He led the team to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup where he scored 482 runs at an average of 96, but failed to carry them over the line. It was a moment which came to define the latter half of his career, leading to his premature retirement in 2018.

De Villiers' greatest achievement was leading his side to a Odi series victory in India, a win he orchestrated single-handedly. He scored 358 runs at an average of 90, the series saw him being cheered ahead of Indian players in India. The streak ended with him scoring a ton in his 200th Odi match against England, marking a series win for South Africa after being 2-0 down.

An average of 78, and a strike-rate of 122 over a period of two years are numbers that are unlikely to be replicated anytime soon, if ever. There are arguments for this streak to be at the very top. Wherever you place it: 1 or 2, there is no denying that it was one of the greatest displays of batting in all of cricketing history.