He’s built different’ -Fans react as AB de Villiers reveals tiring circumstances in which he scored 162 against West Indies in 2015 ODI World Cup
South Africa beat West Indies by 257 runs in that 2015 World Cup game.
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Jul 1, 2023 3:28 pm
AB de Villers (Source: Twitter)
AB de Villiers scored one of the most unbelievable knocks during the 2015 World Cup. The right-hander left the West Indies bowling attack dazed as he struck a magnificent unbeaten 162 off 66 balls with 17 fours and eight sixes. He came in at number five when South Africa were on the ascendancy at 280-4. The then South African captain toyed with the West Indies bowlers to all parts of the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Recently on Jio Cinema, de Villiers reminisced about that knock and said he was half asleep before he came into bat and played that electrifying knock. He said he had to take a few injections and had given the warm-up before the game a miss and was in deep sleep in the dressing room before he came out to bat. The 39-year-old said that it was one of his most cherished memories in international cricket.
I was lucky, I honestly felt like I could not play -AB de Villers on his knock against West Indies
“Sydney Cricket Ground 2015. We played a World Cup game against the West Indies. And I was very nervous, very fired up. It’s a must-win for us. But at 3:00 that morning I got really sick in my room, and I got injections and all sorts of stuff. I didn’t sleep. I arrived at the Sydney Cricket Ground and I told the coach, listen, I don’t think I can warm up, I’m just going to take a nap. Ended up batting first and I was literally sleeping before going out to bat. But my point is there was something more important than focusing out and stressing about a cricket game,” De Villiers said.
“I honestly felt like I couldn’t play. So, that became the bigger matter that I could just walk out. I was lucky. I was happy enough that I could just play. Finally. Which took everything else sort of out of the equation. And I remember standing there facing my first ball and I was like, I don’t care if I get out there, I’m just going to see the ball and just like move slowly. Be in my mode, you know?” he added.
“And it was incredible how in such slow motion everything happened that day. Seeing the ball bigger, I was half asleep. Looking at the sun just standing there going like, oh, this game is actually so enjoyable, so easy, so slow and it’s so difficult to get into that zone. In that zone, it’s so enjoyable,” De Villiers further emphasised. South Africa made 408-5 in their 50 overs. Then in reply, the West Indies were bowled out for 151 in just 33.1 overs giving the Proteas a massive 257-run win.
