Fanie de Villiers straddling the pitch in enthusiastic triumph after dismissing Glenn McGrath to complete South Africa's epic five-run win at Sydney in 1993-94 in only his second Test is one of the indelible images in South Africa's sporting history. It also sums up de Villiers the man - a tireless trier who overcame physical setbacks, language prejudice and the blinkered view that his talents were fit only for limited-overs cricket to become the premier South African swing bowler of the post-apartheid era. Never among the more naturally blessed or technically correct of cricketers, de Villiers evolved into one of the most canny bowlers in the game once his considerable pace began to fade. Always a colourful entertainer on the field, he plunged himself, some would say foot in mouth, into media work after his retirement.
Neil Manthorp