Cape Town - He’s always been a livewire – with the bat and in the field. Now captain AB de Villiers wants to spread that “energy” throughout the Proteas in his first game in charge in Thursday’s third Test against England.
De Villiers addressed the media for the first time as the South African Test skipper on Wednesday at the Wanderers in Johannesburg, and said there is “more of a fresh vibe” in the set-up ahead of what is a must-win clash for the home team in order to level the series 1-1.
The final Test will take place at Centurion on January 22-26.
De Villiers was appointed as the interim captain following Hashim Amla’s resignation at the end of the Newlands Test.
The 31-year-old master batsman spoke about how the strong comeback in the draw at Newlands has put the Proteas on the front foot once more after the mauling they took in the 241-run defeat in Durban and during the first two days in Cape Town.
And while he has been the one South African batsman who didn’t really experience a slump in form during 2015, he believes he will get even better now that he is the ultimate leader of the team.
“You are never guaranteed of performance, but I am definitely more motivated with the added responsibility. I enjoy it, and have always enjoyed it throughout my career. I enjoy people doubting me, and it sorts of motivates me to do better,” De Villiers told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.
“The nice thing about the captaincy is that you are completely focused on the team and your personal performance is put aside. And that is also a good thing, more often than not. I’m constantly thinking about the situation in the game, and that allows me to free myself up a bit and not focus too much on my personal performance.
“I honestly believe there was a momentum shift in the last Test match. I’ve played enough series in the past to know that a little momentum shift like that doesn’t just happen. It’s a big thing in a big series like this, and it’s up to us to maintain that momentum. There’s a nice energy in the team, and I thought Hash led the team exceptionally well.
“Maybe a little more of a fresh vibe – I am more of an energetic guy, if you can say it like that! Hopefully that energy can come through in the next few days.”
The Proteas management released spinner Dane Piedt and batsman Rilee Rossouw from the squad on Wednesday so that they can play four-day cricket for their franchises on Thursday.
It also means that South Africa are going to field an all-out pace attack at the Wanderers, with Morné Morkel and Kagiso Rabada likely to be joined by Chris Morris and a debutant, Hardus Viljoen.
It is a positive and aggressive strategy, and that is the kind of attitude De Villiers wants to see from his team on Thursday as they try to put pressure on England. “Every game is a must-win, but especially now, being 1-0 down in the series, there’s a little bit of added pressure on us to make the play,” he said.
“I’ve never been the kind to throw words around or sledge. But I like to have a good body language and for the team to have a good body language, to be in their face that way – to really make them feel uncomfortable and remind them that they are away from home and not enjoying the pound-rand currency (exchange rate) too much!
“We are as prepared as we can be – a few exciting things happening with team selection – and hopefully we can excite the crowd tomorrow and the people of South Africa.”
* Play at the Wanderers will start at 10.30am on Thursday. Follow @IndyCapeSport on Twitter for live updates on the Test, and visit www.iol.co.za/sport for the latest reports.
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Squads for Wanderers
South Africa: Stiaan van Zyl, Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers (captain), Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicket-keeper), Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Morné Morkel, Hardus Viljoen, Kyle Abbott, JP Duminy.
England: Alastair Cook (captain), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Samit Patel, Chris Woakes, Gary Ballance, Mark Footitt, Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan.