Johannesburg [South Africa], January 12 (ANI): Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers expressed confidence in his team’s ability to secure their maiden ICC World Test Championship (WTC) crown against Australia at Lord’s. However, he acknowledged that Australia remains the favorite, as the Proteas lack experience playing in conditions like those in England and Australia.
De Villiers shared his thoughts during a media interaction on the sidelines of an SA20 season three match between the Joburg Super Kings and MI Cape Town.
The former South African cricketer is currently involved in the tournament as a commentator and brand ambassador.
Speaking to the media, De Villiers noted that despite reaching the ICC T20 World Cup final and the WTC final, South Africa has faced unjust criticism within the cricketing community. This criticism followed the retirement of several senior players and an overhaul in the coaching setup, with Shukri Conrad taking charge as the Test coach and Rob Walter as the white-ball coach.
“There are a lot of new things and still they qualified for the T20 World Cup final and the WTC final. It is actually incredible and I feel they deserve a lot more credit for achieving this. It is going to take a little bit of time to find that consistency that we have had maybe between 2008 and 2015, where we were consistently around one of the top teams in the world. And they will get there. It takes time. All teams have to go through those phases to find the experienced players again. To find the right mix of players,” he said.
Reflecting on his early career, De Villiers mentioned that in the mid to late 2000s, South Africa struggled with consistency.”And then in 2008, we started clicking. But we had to go through those hard times first.”
On the upcoming WTC final, De Villiers said, “There’s no doubt that Australia are the favorites. The Proteas have done exceptionally well, showing they are playing a positive brand of cricket and going for results. I love that about them. Credit must go to the players and coaching staff for their approach.”
De Villiers also praised South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma, saying, “He has taken a lot of criticism over the years. And look at where he is now. Taking the team to the WTC final. Over and above incredible cricketing nations like India, like New Zealand, and England. So great achievement. But yes, the reason why they are not favourites is they are still very inexperienced. They have not travelled to places like England of late. They have not been to Australia.”
De Villiers pointed out the formidable challenge posed by Australia, known for their deep batting lineup and fearsome pace trio–Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc–on swinging pitches in the UK.
“I will never write my team off. They are a bunch of fighters. And Temba mentioned this in the press conference. He said, I will take this team to war. Because I know they are going to fight for each other. So that is all you want. If you have that kind of attitude, you can achieve anything. And I will back the guys to go all the way and win this WTC final,” he added.
De Villiers said that in order to gain success in Tests, Proteas will have to keep backing those 13-15 players that are currently part of the set-up and let them gain their consistency over time.
“That is what I had when I grew up. In the Proteas side, Graeme Smith backed me. I was not always consistent in the first few years. And he stuck with me. And then finally, the team reaped the rewards from me becoming more consistent. There are quite a few other examples like that. Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn. The list goes on. Could easily have dropped those players because they were inconsistent early on But they (the management) stuck with the team. They believed in what they had. And I feel the Proteas need to do the same now. They have a very special group of players together. Stick with the guys. It is going to be inconsistent at times. But just stick with them,” he added.
The Proteas’ journey to the WTC finals is a fairytale one. They started the 2023-25 WTC cycle on a shaky note with a 1-1 draw against India at home. It was followed by a second-string side led by Neil Brand touring New Zealand amid SA20 season two, for a two-Test series and losing 2-0. This series and SA’s move to send a second-string, largely inexperienced side raised questions over their commitment to Tests.
However, with the return of key players, South Africa secured series wins against the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, winning seven Tests in a row to qualify for the WTC final.
Apart from veterans like Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram, and skipper Temba Bavuma, young talents such as Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, and David Bedingham have delivered exceptional performances.
The WTC final against Australia is scheduled to take place at Lord’s on June 11 next year. (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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