AB de Villiers smashed West Indies bowlers from pillar to post for the quickest 150 in one-day internationals on Friday but the South African skipper said only hard work earns a batsman the right to dominate in such a fashion.
'All the venues are high-scoring venues. So what you need is pace.' 'You really want someone to come there and control the flow of runs in the death overs, whether you are setting a target or setting a target.' 'It is going to be the fast bowlers because at how many venues have you seen spinners bowling the death overs?'
South Africa's ODI and T20 skipper AB de Villiers has said the Proteas are relishing the opportunity of defending their World No.1 Test crown for the first time on Australian soil.
South Africa skipper AB de Villiers on Tuesday waded into controversy over alleged ball-tampering saying he is a bit amazed at the England bowlers' ability to reverse swing the ball "a bit quicker than the rest of the teams" in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
The mind games have started ahead of the India-South Africa Test series with Proteas star batsman A B de Villiers saying that there would be a question mark on the visitors' number one ranking if they falter in the three-match series starting December 16.
South Africa beat Pakistan by 45 runs in the first ODI at the Gaddafi stadium on Thursday.
After South Africa were penalised five runs for ball tampering against Pakistan in the second Test in Dubai on Friday, AB de Villiers insisted the Proteas were not cheats.
South Africa fast bowler Dale Steyn was left distressed after being heavily criticised by his own fans for opting against chasing victory in the drawn first test against India, the team's vice-captain AB de Villiers said.
De Villiers smashed 107 and Morkel made a career-best 97 to lead the visitors to a 28-run victory over Zimbabwe in the 3rd ODI.
Dhawan said that he has made a conscious effort to improve his strike rate, especially in the middle-overs.
India lost the opening One-Day International against South Africa by 5 runs on Sunday. Rajneesh Gupta presents some interesting numbers from the match played in Kanpur ...
Jacques Kallis hit his second Test double century and AB de Villiers added a thrilling hundred before South Africa declared on 580 for four on the second day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Wednesday.
India's Virat Kohli was overthrown by AB de Villiers from the top spot of the latest ODI rankings for batsmen following India's 0-2 series loss in South Africa.
South Africa skipper AB de Villiers said he made a few captaincy errors that may have helped Pakistan snatch a thrilling win from the jaws of defeat in the opening Group 2 Super Eights match of the ICC World Twenty20 in Colombo on Friday.
South Africa captain A B de Villiers on Saturday said his side is not too worried about the problems that India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin could pose during their ICC Cricket World Cup match in Melbourne, on Sunday.
Following a hattrick of half-centuries in the bilateral home series against Australia, the Mumbaikar continued his red-hot form Down Under as he slammed a 35-ball 53 in India's 13-run win over Western Australia in a practice match here on Monday.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers continued their sparkling show with the bat to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore to a commanding nine-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders and keep their play-off hopes alive in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League, in Kolkata, on Monday.
South Africa's skipper A B de Villiers is a satisfied man as his team took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against World No 1 India. And AB de Villiers felt that his team ought to be proud of this achievement.
Openers AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla broke the backs of English bowlers, blasting a 125-run opening stand to beat England by 9 wickets in the 2nd T20 International at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday.
South Africans take the top 3 slots in Most Valuable Player Index.
Hashim Amla scored 196 and AB de Villiers 169 in a batting exhibition that drove South Africa to a commanding lead of 631 runs before they were dismissed for 569 on the third day of the third Test against Australia on Sunday.
Strangely, despite four wins on the trot, none of India's players have even figured in the top 20 of the MVPI table.
While coming at No. 5, Rahul's role as a batsman is not easy - he either has very few overs to make an impact after a top-order mayhem or he has to consolidate after a top-order malfunction.
South Africa will play four Tests and five One-Day Internationals on their upcoming tour of India from September 29 to December 7. The 72 days' tour -- their longest ever to the sub-continent -- also comprises three Twenty20 matches.
South Africa crushed the Pakistan Cricket Board XI by 176 runs in a one-day tour match on Tuesday.
South Africa were left to rue the loss of cheap wickets after battling to 214 for five on the opening day of the second Test against Australia on Thursday.
They represent a new tribe whose grace and skill-sets lie well beyond my comprehension, notes Sreehari Nair.
South Africa's AB de Villiers and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara will take their battle for the coveted No 1 spot in the Reliance ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen to Sydney when they go head-to-head in the first quarter-final of the World Cup.
Former India star VVS Laxman feels AB de Villiers, without an iota of doubt, is the most complete batsman in the modern era, who has three to four shots in his repertoire for every delivery.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have retained Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers for the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League. In a surprising development, it named New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori as head coach, Trent Woodhill as batting and fielding coach and Allan Donald as bowling coach.
Parthiv Patel, who won Man of the Match award for his half-century against Mumbai Indians, has showered encomiums on AB de Villiers for calming the roughed up proceedings.
'As a South African team, we know we're going to have that chip on our back, or that narrative that we have to get over'
Images from the World Cup match between West Indies and South Africa in New Delhi on Thursday.
'The 2017 final and 2019 final. In the 2019 final, I did not contribute much, but it is about how we won it as a team. For me that's more important than individual performances.'
Jacques Kallis completed his maiden Test double century and AB de Villiers blasted the fastest ever century by a South African, to leave India with an uphill task to save the first Test on day three at SuperSport Park, in Centurion, on Saturday.
South Africa's leading batsman AB de Villiers has undergone a scan on his left thigh after picking up an injury during their World Cup win over India, a team spokesperson said.
Flamboyant allrounder and former captain, Shahid Afridi believes that Pakistan cricket think-tank has erred by having too many expectations from out of favor batsmen, Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal. "I don't know but it was wrong to expect them to be like Virat Kohli or Ab de Villiers and perform like them," Afridi said on Geo News channel on Monday. Shehzad and Umar considered to be two of the country's best young batting talent have been axed for the tour to England on disciplinary grounds and were not called for the training and skills camps set up by the cricket board. PCB Chairman, Shaharyar Khan made it clear that it was the decision of the new selection committee to sideline the two youngsters. Afridi said there was no doubt that Shehzad and Umar needed to work hard on their cricket and approach. "I also agree there should be no compromise on discipline. But I think it is best if we stop expecting too much from them and just let them be and let them play the way they do. With more experience I am sure they will be much better," he added.
Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is still India's MVP of the current 2009-10 season, but Tendulkar has come dangerously close. The master batsman would almost certainly have topped if he had played as many matches as Dhoni.
Images from day three of the first Test between India and South Africa in Centurion, on Saturday.
A B de Villiers may have made some big mistakes in the semi-final: Choosing to bat first in spite of the rain threat, batting too low at No 5, not hogging the strike after David Miller departed, fielding badly, asking Dale Steyn to bowl the last over ... but he is still best placed to be adjudged the most valuable player of the 2015 World Cup.
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