“It’s never easy to lose. But life is not all sunshine and roses.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’ll do whatever it takes for us to win games of cricket. If I have to sledge, I’ll get involved like that. I’ll try and intimidate a player if I have to.”
― AB de Villiers
“I accept that it is not always moonshine and roses, and you can’t expect things must always go your way.”
― AB de Villiers
“Far from being a mere consequence of winning, strong team spirit is an essential ingredient of sporting success; it comes before, not afterwards.”
― AB de Villiers
“I was brought up to always see the glass half full instead of half empty and played my cricket that way.”
― AB de Villiers
“I like to entertain the crowd. Personally I like to entertain my team-mates first, but when the crowd gets going, it is amazing.”
― AB de Villiers
“The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me.”
― AB de Villiers
“In all kinds of sports, you have to get the confidence going within before you can start proving people wrong or right.”
― AB de Villiers
“I believe I am strong mentally. My breaking points might be bigger than most players. I think it’s because of the way I grew up with my two older brothers. They pushed my limits quite often – once every day, I think! I think that played a big role in my breaking point being bigger than most players. Not all players.”
― AB de Villiers
“There are lots of mentally very tough players that I have played against and with.”
― AB de Villiers
“The fear of failing… not quite the fear of failing, but the uncertainty of whether you are going to perform or not, is there every single game I have played in my life. It will always be there.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s important on any English wicket to leave well.”
― AB de Villiers
“There are big tournaments going on around the world, and some of them you cannot ignore because, financially, they make a huge difference in our lives.”
― AB de Villiers
“Sometimes you don’t quite realise what you have achieved until you look back.”
― AB de Villiers
“Wrong is wrong. Guys try to find a way to get the ball to reverse, but you have to stay in the laws.”
― AB de Villiers
“The main lesson I learned from 2015 is that a World Cup doesn’t define a player’s career.”
― AB de Villiers
“I believe all teams choke in certain situations.”
― AB de Villiers
“We want to swing the ball as much as we can. We try and get it to reverse, putting more sweat on one side and things like that. But we don’t cheat.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’m a bit undercooked when it comes to keeping in Test cricket, but I’ve had a lot of experience in T20 and ODIs for my country, and my keeping has improved a lot.”
― AB de Villiers
“I rest a bit more when I keep. The only thing I have to look after is my back and using different muscle groups.”
― AB de Villiers
“When I’m fielding at point, I’m running all over that field, and I’m really tired by the end of the innings.”
― AB de Villiers
“I love keeping. I’m in the game all the time. I see angles that I wouldn’t normally see, and I feel part of what the captain does.”
― AB de Villiers
“If I play all the IPL games the whole season, I do get a bit tired towards the end.”
― AB de Villiers
“After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired.”
― AB de Villiers
“I will continue to be the biggest supporter of Faf du Plessis and the Proteas.”
― AB de Villiers
“It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when, and in what format I play for the Proteas.”
― AB de Villiers
“I will always be grateful to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years.”
― AB de Villiers
“I try and watch the ball closely. I’ve played the game for many years now, and I know my talent will take over if I just watch the ball and enjoy myself out there.”
― AB de Villiers
“I don’t care about hundreds, fifties, averages.”
― AB de Villiers
“To cross the line for the team, to have an impact on winning the game – that’s why I play this game.”
― AB de Villiers
“I am fully aware that cricket is like a second religion in Pakistan.”
― AB de Villiers
“Winning an official World Cup with the South African team had become my burning ambition.”
― AB de Villiers
“It will never be much fun until a Proteas team finally goes out and wins one of these ICC limited-overs tournaments. That will happen one day.”
― AB de Villiers
“For me, in green and gold, it must be everything or nothing.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s always been about the team; it’s never been about myself.”
― AB de Villiers
“There’s a lot of reasons I had to move on. Family’s definitely a big part of it. And the longevity of my career – I played for 15 years, and I was just tired of the whole international scene. It’s quite busy. Very stressful.”
― AB de Villiers
“Obviously I want to be there at the end every time, winning games for the team.”
― AB de Villiers
“I can’t keep playing 10-11 months a year and keep being sharp after 15 years of international cricket.”
― AB de Villiers
“You live for those pressure moments. Through an international career, you have ups and downs, but you always feel you are going to be tested in moments like that. It has taken me years to feel comfortable and to feel like I have good composure in those situations.”
― AB de Villiers
“I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that’s why I want to be there at the end.”
― AB de Villiers
“I have always wanted to play at the top of the order.”
― AB de Villiers
“I know my game pretty well, and that is the secret to success in most sports.”
― AB de Villiers
“I just try and earn my right to get on top of the bowlers, and that is how I play every game.”
― AB de Villiers
“I try and keep my feet on the ground and keep working at my game.”
― AB de Villiers
“For some guys, playing for the team will mean achieving more personally.”
― AB de Villiers
“It was a bit of a surprise when the national captaincy came my way.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’m not the kind of guy who cares how many hundreds I’ve scored.”
― AB de Villiers
“My personal goals have always and will always take a backseat to the team.”
― AB de Villiers
“I had a long run as a captain. I had some fantastic ups and also quite a few lows in between.”
― AB de Villiers
“Money wasn’t the motivating factor in calling time on my international career and focusing on T20 cricket. If I was here to make as much money as I can, I would be playing 10 to 12 tournaments a year.”
― AB de Villiers
“The World Cup is a tough tournament.”
― AB de Villiers
“From a personal standpoint, my ability to play all around the wicket is more mindset than anything else.”
― AB de Villiers
“Captaining South Africa was definitely not one of my goals.”
― AB de Villiers
“As a captain, I can’t make the same mistake twice. As a player, you can get away with that, but if the captain does that, then it affects the whole team.”
― AB de Villiers
“I watch the ball, and I just play. I have always said that I don’t feel there’s a big difference between the three formats. It is just a mindset, applying yourself to the wicket and conditions, and that’s always been the way that I have played.”
― AB de Villiers
“My mindset in all three formats, in any situation, is exactly the same. I just want to get myself in, get myself a nice foundation to hopefully attack and dominate the bowlers.”
― AB de Villiers
“Test cricket is the ultimate challenge.”
― AB de Villiers
“Yes, I would have loved to win it, but I have great memories from World Cups. The 2007 tournament – my first – was very special.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s always been the most important thing for me to enjoy my cricket.”
― AB de Villiers
“I truly believe that players who tell you they don’t feel the pressure of international cricket, of being away from home for months at a time, are lying to everyone and themselves.”
― AB de Villiers
“If you pick up that information, the first metre or two, the ball coming out of the hand, you can analyse what’s coming.”
― AB de Villiers
“I do enjoy fielding.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s tough at slip. The ball doesn’t come to you very often. So from that perspective, I enjoy keeping more – you’re in the game the whole time.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s never been about my own runs. If I can score as many as possible to get us into a position to win, then I’ll be a very happy man.”
― AB de Villiers
“I prefer to be out of the spotlight, to be honest. I’ve always been that kind of personality.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’ve always been shy.”
― AB de Villiers
“I don’t really like attention too much.”
― AB de Villiers
“I know nothing will compare to that feeling of scoring hundreds in a big game.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’ve made peace with the fact that the World Cup will not define me. Yes, it would be nice to add that to what’s been a very enjoyable career, but I know it won’t define me as a person or cricketer.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’ve always been a people pleaser.”
― AB de Villiers
“The most important people to please are your family.”
― AB de Villiers
“Playing at the highest level alongside your friends, scoring runs for your country are things that I look back and go, ‘Ah, I miss that a little bit,’ but there’s a lot I don’t miss. I don’t miss 90 per cent of it.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’ve always kept it very simple. I’m a big believer that basics stay the same for all the formats.”
― AB de Villiers
“I don’t overthink things.”
― AB de Villiers
“I know Test cricket is more about endurance. T20 is more about innovating, creating, and the energy at the wicket.”
― AB de Villiers
“I often speak about tennis being one of the most important sports when I was growing up, for my hand-eye coordination and quick feet.”
― AB de Villiers
“I have played incredible knocks with the lightest of bats.”
― AB de Villiers
“I know what makes me good, and it’s not a bat.”
― AB de Villiers
“I think I have a natural hitting ability.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s not really part of the game to say, ‘Oh, it’s a batter’s game; it’s a batter’s game’ – I don’t know why it goes on. It’s a beautiful game that’s greatly competitive between bat and ball.”
― AB de Villiers
“You represent your country – that’s the biggest honour ever. I had the privilege of doing that for more than 14 years.”
― AB de Villiers
“Every wicket you play on is different.”
― AB de Villiers
“You’ve got to be able to work hard. There must be inner drive that you want to be the best in the world at what you do.”
― AB de Villiers
“Nothing comes close to the IPL, to be honest.”
― AB de Villiers
“I truly love captaining. I’ve grown into enjoying it.”
― AB de Villiers
“We all grow up dreaming of playing international cricket.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket.”
― AB de Villiers
“In my heart, international cricket is the way forward. That’s where you want to play; that’s where the pressure really lies. That’s where you make your name.”
― AB de Villiers
“If you don’t learn, especially if you are not playing well, then you are not going to move forward as a team.”
― AB de Villiers
“I announced my retirement from international cricket in May 2018 because I wanted to reduce my workload and spend more time with my wife and young sons. Some have insisted I was motivated purely by money. They are wrong.”
― AB de Villiers
“I have been massively proud to have played for and, indeed, captain my country on the cricket field.”
― AB de Villiers
“There are so many dreams that I’d like to follow.”
― AB de Villiers
“Obviously, international cricket is the main cricket you want to play, especially Test cricket.”
― AB de Villiers
“It’s a huge honour to play my 100th Test, and I never in my life thought I’ll be in this kind of position.”
― AB de Villiers
“I don’t like to celebrate my own achievements.”
― AB de Villiers
“I’m not a nice guy on the field, and I’ve never really respected a guy who’s been a ‘nice guy’ on the field. I want opposition to be hard, to play to win the game for their team.”
― AB de Villiers
“For my part, I am not a great believer in bad luck on the cricket field, in business – in fact, in any walk of life.”
― AB de Villiers
“An IPL match may be decided when the ball passes inches beyond the grasp of a fielder on the boundary or when a direct hit catches a batsman inches short of the crease.”
― AB de Villiers
“Even the thunderous master-blasters, like Andre Russell and MS Dhoni, men who now make scoring more than 20 runs per over look simple, often thrive on the right side of an incredibly slender gap between six and out. They are not more lucky than anyone else. They are more brilliant.”
― AB de Villiers
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