De Villiers wants to regain number 1 position
The name AB De Villiers often strikes fear in the hearts of bowlers.
After all, this is someone who could smack the ball to all parts of the ground.
And the man with 106 Test caps now wants his nation to once again become the
ranked 1 team in the longest format of the game.
The South African were the best team in Tests before Indian
registered a series win against the Sri Lankans to move on top. De Villiers,
who is back after a break, says that he wants to play a part in the team’s
efforts.
“I want to contribute‚” said De Villiers.
The South Africa, also known as Mr. 360, wasn’t in good form
before his break, scoring 3 consecutive ducks before he took the mini
sabbatical. And now, he wants to make amends.
“I want to play knocks and have my say in the field‚ share
my experience‚ take some catches in order for us to win games of cricket.”
The Proteas can regain the lost ground if the win their
outings against Zimbabwe, India and Australia—and De Villiers wants just that.
“Obviously we’d like to be No.1 in the world‚ we are not far
away. We know if we win a few series in the next two or three months against
very tough opposition we can achieve that. That will be nice to be that No.1
team in the world again and to maintain it for a few years.”
The devastating batsman was called up to play for South
Africa Invitation XI against Zimbabwe this week, but had to opt out of it due
to lower back stiffness. However, de Villiers thinks that it is not much of a
big deal as he has had a number of such niggles in his career.
“It’s not really a big problem. It’s a little niggle I’ve had
for eight or nine years. It’s something I have to manage with my workload.
“I had a few intense games in the last few months and I
started feeling it again towards the end of the Ram Slam finals. There’s
nothing you can do. It’s a little tweak. I was honest with the convener and a
few guys and asked them for a few days off. I needed a bit of rest and I feel
fit and ready to go again.”
