It reads like a volume of the Famous Five, except that all the adventures happen on the sports field. AB: The Autobiography is a romantic account of a boy with big dreams who becomes a man for whom so many of those come true.The story starts with what may be considered AB de Villiers finest moment as a cricketer, when he broke the record for the fastest hundred in an ODI, against West Indies in January 2015. We already know all the numbers: the fifty came off 16 balls, the century off 31, and the 16 sixes equalled the record for the most hit in an ODI, so perhaps the most startling fact is that de Villiers wanted David Miller to go in ahead of him after the openers posted 247 inside 39 overs.Selflessness has defined de Villiers career. He is often spoken about as the ultimate team man, and the reader gets a sense of how that came about when the story goes back to de Villiers childhood. As the youngest of three brothers, he was forced to carry drinks and field while his brothers did the real stuff. It taught him to be tough, although at the time it occasionally made him want to cry.De Villiers does not shy away from emotions in the book, most notably when he reveals his religious convictions. He recalls two incidents that brought him close to God - one as a schoolboy and one after South Africas 2008-09 victory over Australia. Both brought him to tears and the second one also changed him as a sportsman, he writes.By 2008, which merits its own chapter in the book, de Villiers had decided that it wasnt going to be enough for me to be just another run-of-the-mill international batsman with an average in the mid 30s, and promised myself I would become the best batsman in the world.To do that he needed to give up his partying lifestyle, which he admitted was at one stage getting out of hand, perfect his technique, and professionalise. In a nuts-and-bolts section titled Crossroads he details how he assembled a support team around himself, which included an agent, a financial adviser and a personal assistant. It reads like a how-to guide to becoming a modern sportsperson, and will be fascinating for those who hope to follow in de Villiers footsteps.The results of those efforts saw de Villiers play major roles in South Africa winning in England and Australia for the first time since readmission, in their unbeaten run on the road that started in 2006 and only ended in 2015, and in their rise to No. 1. He recalls matches, some in elaborate detail, and makes regular reference to how South Africas success was founded on the strength of the captain, Graeme Smith. We were privileged to play for such a captain, de Villiers writes.In that time, he also watched the game change from a purely national sport to a multi-formatted beast, and to a club game, and he gives the sense that he is uncomfortable with the shifting ethos. In one passage he reveals how the childlike joy he once had was dimmed by the cluttered schedule and constant treadmill of life on the road.The type of international tour that had once seemed such an adventure for a tight-knit group of 16 players, who were bonded by embracing so many different experiences in so many different places, had been transformed into some kind of military operation where, almost every day, someone would pack their bags and take a taxi to the airport and someone else would arrive, bleary-eyed, carrying their suitcase into the hotel foyer. It was increasingly difficult to predict who would be sitting beside you at breakfast the next morning, he writes. Thats not to say de Villiers does not support the growth of T20 leagues. Quite the opposite. He writes glowingly about the IPL and predicts it will only become bigger. The Indian Premier League will surely continue to grow and develop, leading the evolution of the game in many respects and I hope to participate for a few more years.But he remains nostalgic about the traditions of cricket as a national sport, and his optimism about the future of Test cricket is reassuring. In my view, Test cricket will continue to be played for many decades to come, played in daylight hours, played with a red ball and played in white clothing. It will continue because it remains the preferred format of a strong group of spectators, whose numbers are not declining and whose passion is not diminishing. I count myself as a member of this audience and I will be watching Test cricket for many years after I stop playing.So too is his admission that his desire for an ICC trophy has not dimmed. De Villiers has a recurring dream in which he takes a catch at cover to win South Africa the World Cup final and he suggests he will keep playing if he thinks he can achieve that.That pretty much sums up the man as we know him: an eternal optimist, a member of a band of brothers, a patriot. He spends a chapter explaining his hopes for South Africa as a country and praising its resilient spirit, revealing how he came to write South Africas team song, which they belt out after every victory. He writes with an innocence about how much he thinks can go right.Controversy barely crops up, with oblique references to the 2007 World Cup, when South Africas players were accused of drinking too much and cramping. De Villiers flatly denies that was the case. The 2015 World Cup semi-final selection is touched on but he is careful not to apportion blame.The timing of this book - while de Villiers is still a cricketer on the circuit - perhaps limits how much he could say about issues that concern him. In any case, those things may always remain unsaid because ultimately de Villiers is like a Famous Fiver who never ages - on a life of endless holiday and adventure.AB: The Autobiography by AB de Villiers Pan Macmillan 328 pages, R350 Cheap Nike Air Max Clearance . -- Matt Ryan needed one of the best games of his career to lead the Falcons and their depleted offence out of their three-game losing streak last week. Nike Air Max Cheap Wholesale . Its 1987 and a Brazilian playmaker, known as Mirandinha, is being paraded around St James Park to the passionate Newcastle fans. http://www.airmaxclearance.com/ . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. 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The Swiss racers are the sports fourth-oldest team, and there is a lot of affection for the team that keeps rising from the ashes, no matter how hot the fires.Once the relief that Sauber had secured their future had subsided, the question on everyones lips was who or what is Longbow? In the Budapest paddock on Thursday, rumours were circulating that Marcus Ericssons backers were behind the deal, although the Swedish driver denied any knowledge when asked in the official FIA press conference.I think its great news for the team, Ericsson said on Thursday. Its no secret its been a difficult year for us in Sauber, financially mainly. We havent been able to update the car the way we wanted and been fighting in the back. I think for the team its been very, very important that this happened and its great news. What it means for the future, I dont know, we have to wait and see. But for sure its very, very good news for everyone in Sauber.Asked about the stories linking his backers with the Sauber takeover, Ericsson replied: Ive seen that [story] as well. Its not something I know about. Im not involved in these kind of things anyway, so yeah I really dont know to be honest. And my future, like anyone else without a contract for next year so looking at Sauber because I really like the way its working in Sauber. Hopefully now with a new owner we can improve as a team but also looking at other alternatives, so lets see.The Swedish driver then had to deflect a further question on the link, saying Of course I care about [the future of my team] and I think its important that the team has got a new owner, but who they are and what they are is not something that Im involved with. Im contracted as a racing driver and my job is to drive the car as fast as possible on the race track, to work with my engineers, to work with the guys on the aero, stuff like that. Who owns the teams and who is putting money in the team and all these kinds of stuff - I think that is not my job so its as simple as that.A little digging through company records available online does show some links between the mysterious Longbow Finance (first incorporated as Tepar Investmeent Management in 1963) and single-seater motorsport, irrespective of any possible links with Ericsson or his backers: Raymond J.dddddddddddd. Baer, president of the Longbow Finance board of directors, has a CV dominated by years spent with Swiss private bank Julius B?r, one of Formula Es key sponsors.Longbow is but one of many boards that Baer sits on - the Swiss financier is also president of the board of directors at Swiss investment firm Alpine Select, a position he has held since 2013; honorary chairman of both the Julius Baer Group Ltd. and Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd. (since 2012); president of the board of trustees for the Pension Fund of the Julius Baer Group (since 2004), and many more besides.Baer is incredibly well connected in the Swiss business and finance worlds. Away from Julius B?r the 57-year-old is a member of the advisory board of the Lorange Institute of Business Zurich and since 2001 has served as president of the Swiss American Chamber of Commerce -- Financial Services Chapter Board. But Baer also has an interest in the automotive sector, and in 2014 he was made a member of the board of AMAG Automobil- und Motoren AG, a major Swiss car dealer and importer founded in 1945 to bring luxury marques to Swiss clients.Bloombergs profile of Longbow is limited in scope, but their background on Baer paints a very clear picture of a man who is socially and professionally connected to everyone -- and every business -- worth knowing in Switzerland. This person is connected to 14 board members in three different organizations across four different industries, Bloomberg noted in a thumbnail sketch.Where things get really interesting is with the list of previous names Longbow has been known by, one of which is Tetral Investment Management SA -- a company that is currently listed as being based at 70 Avenue du General-Guisan, in Pully, Switzerland. That is also the current contact address for Tetra Laval International SA, the parent company of Tetra Pak and owned by a certain Hans Rausing, backer of the only Swedish driver on the grid.Given those circumstances, it is hard to believe that Longbows decision to invest in Sauber is entirely coincidental. 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