It was cricket fans’ turn to be AB-struck this week. Looking back at South Africa batsman AB De Villiers’ fastest century in one-dayers, one was suddenly tempted to draw a parallel between the evolution of batting records with that of, say, the shrinking times in an athletics world mark.

Such comparisons, many could argue, may be odious because in a sport like cricket there are certain tangible factors that make a difference in a batsman’s performance, like the wicket, quality of opposition bowling and certainly the superior technology behind the heavy modern bats. On the contrary, it’s a level-playing field in sports like athletics or swimming, where the clock is the main rival.

However, there’s no denying the common factor underlining such superhuman efforts — that of the athletes’ efforts in pushing the boundaries of excellence time and again. Hence, while Sanath Jayasuriya’s 48-ball century in the mid-1990s was considered an improbable feat, it has now been whittled down to 31 deliveries by De Villiers — and who knows what’s round the corner.

The men’s 100 metres dash, the marquee event in athletics, has likewise seen the timing being shredded — fraction by fraction — over the last 50 years. Bob Hayes of the United States clocked 10.06 sec to set the world mark in 1964, while compatriot Jimmy Hines brought it down to a sub-10 (9.95) timing for the first time in 1968.

The timing was increasingly challenged in the last 25 years, with Usain Bolt now being its rightful owner — having lowered his own mark thrice to 9.58 sec for now.

With the World Cup around the corner, one would wonder if De Villiers’ record is not already under ‘threat’ — with the South African himself being one of the challengers to it. While a batting record is certainly backed by the benefit of certain factors, it’s undeniable how the art of batsmanship has undergone a major change with the advent of Twenty20 cricket, reshaping the batsman’s technique and thinking along the way.

Footage of the South African ODI captain’s innings the other day shows how, along with being blessed with tremendous bat speed, his supreme fitness and improvisation also helped him force the pace. If ‘Dilscoop’ has found its way into the cricketing lexicon, it’s high time that a name should be given for the trademark De Villiers shot where he picks up a length delivery on the off and middle stumps early, swivels and pulls it behind or square of the wicket with such devastating effect.

The other day, a friend and columnist of Wisden India argued for the case of a 25-ball century as soon as in the World Cup beginning in three weeks’ time. He has thrown up a few potential scenarios, mostly in the smaller grounds of New Zealand, where some of the game’s most destructive batsmen like Chris Gayle, AB or Brendon McCullum come up against inadequate attacks of the associate countries.

It will be worth watching out for as it seems impossible is nothing in the dictionary of the modern batsman!