AB: Proteas belief as high as ever

One of the modern-day sportsperson’s favourite catch-phrases is “one game at a time”. It is a well-worn out cliché that gets rolled out at every pre-match press conference.

But such is the feel-good factor within the South African dressing-room at the moment that AB de Villiers has allowed himself to gaze into the future a bit on Saturday.

The Proteas may be starting a series against New Zealand in the early hours of Sunday morning (3am SA time) in Hamilton, but the ODI skipper was already keeping one eye on the all-important ICC Champions Trophy later this year.

“It’s definitely a build-up towards the Champions Trophy, it’s a big goal of ours to go there and win that tournament. We know there’s a long way to go, but this is a great stepping stone,” De Villiers said.

“The conditions are pretty similar – the ball moves around a bit when it’s new and you have to extend your partnerships when you get in, so it’s quite similar to the UK.”

Thanks for all the special bday messages!! Made my day an unforgettable one. Time for a good night's rest after a good first win in NZ.

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) February 17, 2017

De Villiers can certainly be forgiven for being slightly distracted. The Proteas have been the supreme team in 50-over cricket for the past eight months.

They are currently enjoying an 11-match winning streak and should they defeat the Black Caps at Seddon Park, they will equal the national record.

This amazing run, which has culminated in securing the top spot on the ICC ODI team rankings, has included consecutive 5-0 whitewashes over world champions Australia and Sri Lanka on home soil.

Besides the latter triumph over the Sri Lankans, the majority of the Proteas’ success was achieved under Test and T20I skipper Faf du Plessis, who also led South Africa to a convincing opening tour victory in Friday’s T20I at Eden Park.

But with De Villiers returning after a lengthy injury layoff, Du Plessis has handed the ODI captaincy armband back to his school friend with full confidence that the great team spirit and success will continue.

“Faf and I are very similar in the way that we play our game, even though it looks completely different when we are batting,” De Villiers said.

“We grew up together and are both competitive. I truly believe we will take the same attitude from the T20 into the ODI series. The same kind of energy and passion that we played with, I will definitely be leading that. I have a lot of senior players around me to help me with that.

“The belief in the squad is as high as I’ve ever experienced it,” De Villiers added. “There’s a great respect among the players and a sense of direction. It’s as simple as that.

“We know it can change in a matter of minutes, so there’s a deep respect for the game and the fact you can go into a dip at any time, but I really believe what we have in this team will carry us through good and bad times.”

Faf du Plessis is congratulated by AB de Villiers after going to his ton against Sri Lanka at Newlands. Photo: Chris Ricco, BackpagePix

South Africa are, of course, are well acquainted with the “bad times”, especially at major ICC tournaments.

The most recent heartbreak was at the 2015 World Cup, where the Proteas found themselves once again on the wrong end of a thrilling contest with the Black Caps winning at Eden Park by four wickets.

Going back there last Friday and being able to celebrate a “series victory” out in the middle of the pitch after everyone had left, with the traditional team song, would certainly have partially healed some wounds ahead of the next major ICC assignment.

“We were hoping no one would be there. We normally go out quite late, but it’s just a tradition after every series win. You have to appreciate the good times,” De Villiers said.

“It will never disappear that we lost the semi-final, but all you can focus on is the now. That game has been played about a thousand times on TV over the last few days, so I’ve been reliving those emotions quite a bit, but it’s all good memories really.

“We’ve got through all the pain and heartache. When I’ve watched the game over the last few days, I just saw good things.”

De Villiers knows his team is in a good space. Another series victory over the highly-ranked Black Caps will ensure the momentum grows even further, leading up to England.