AB de Villiers Thinks He Can Win The World Cup, It’s Driving His Cricket Career, Says Michael Hussey
May 12, 2017 at 8:32 PM
Former Australia batsman Mike Hussey feels that the hunger of the World Cup win and the desire to shed the ‘chokers’ tag is driving the star South African batsman AB de Villiers at the moment.
The 33-year-old is currently preparing to lead his side in the Champions Trophy which is set to begin from June 1st in England.
“I caught up with him while I was in India (commentating the IPL) and he’s desperate to win a tournament with South Africa in one-day cricket,” Hussey told cricket.com.au.
“He thinks they can win a World Cup, so this is like a mini-World Cup and it’s what’s driving him in his cricket career at the moment.
Hussey states that De Villiers is super confident about winning the 2019 Cricket World Cup, which is true, as the South African’s himself has made this ambition quite open.
Last August, he admitted he was battling “five or six niggles” before an elbow injury ruled him out of Test series against New Zealand at home and later for the Test series win in Australia.
AB de Villiers, who is the No.1 ranked ODI batsman in the world, later stunned everyone by announcing a temporary sabbatical from Test cricket after returning from his elbow injury. He returned to the limited-overs cricket in February but ruled himself out of the Test series in New Zealand in March and later announced that he will skip the four-Test tour of England in July-August and the two Tests against Bangladesh also.
He stated his determination to break the World Cup jinx was the main motivation behind the decision apart from the need to spend time with his young family.
“When you’ve got such a quality player that’s highly motivated, personally and for the team, then that’s a pretty dangerous combination for the opposition.”
Hussey, however, feels that AB de Villiers may not be able to make a return to Tests after the temporary retirement due to physical limitations.
“If I’m being honest I’d be surprised if he keeps playing (Tests) due to the toll Test cricket takes on your body,” Hussey said.
“Body-wise he has back problems plus he’s had this elbow injury that kept him out for a long time.
“I think he’ll really try and focus on the shorter formats of the game.”
South Africa will start their Champions Trophy preparation with a tour of England, starting at Lord’s on 24 May. They will play a three-match ODI series against the tournament hosts.
South Africa is already being pitted as the tournament favourites by many teams. With a team full of ballistic batsmen and top-quality all-rounders, the Proteas will be a tough nut to crack.