Cape Town - He has endured the humiliation of three consecutive ducks, but AB de Villiers is not bothered by his lapse in form ahead of Wednesday’s first one-day international against England.
The Proteas captain ended the 2-1 Test series defeat with three scores of nought, having had an indifferent time with the bat in the four matches. He totalled just 210 runs in seven innings for an average of 30.00, with just one half-century – the 88 he scored at Newlands.
South African fans will feel that arguably the world’s best batsman cannot be in the midst of a slump, but stats don’t lie. However, the lean run isn’t bothering De Villiers in the slightest with a confident England looming in Bloemfontein on Wednesday (1.30pm start).
“I’ve always taken a new series as a new challenge. We are starting from zero again. No matter who you are and no matter where you play, you are always trying to find your feet. I scored a hundred in my last ODI, but even then I still feel like I have to find my feet, get myself in. Every game that I play, I’m like that,” De Villiers, who will turn 32 later this month, said at a pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
“Even in the IPL, where we play 16 matches in no time, I always feel that no matter what good form I am in, I always have to work hard to get myself in. I will have the same mindset again (against England). I never thought in my wildest dreams that I could score a hundred in 31 balls (against the West Indies last season), and things like that is always possible when you aim bigger and have a bigger cause.”
While it was over three months ago, De Villiers is right in saying that he got a ton in his last ODI, an unbelievable 119 off just 61 balls – with three fours and 11 sixes – against India in Mumbai on October 25, which played a big part in clinching the series decider for the Proteas.
He was cheered off the Wankhede Stadium, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the crowd at the Mangaung Oval does the same on Wednesday. He averages a superb 54.21 in 195 matches, and has an excellent career strike-rate of 100.28, with 23 hundreds.
But it won’t be as easy against an England side in great spirits after winning the Test series, while the ODI outfit were victorious in their last challenge against Pakistan in the UAE.
While the Proteas have some dangerous batsmen such as Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and De Villiers, England boast some real quality too in the shape of captain Eoin Morgan, openers Alex Hales and Jason Roy, as well as middle-order stalwarts Joe Root, James Taylor and Ben Stokes.
So the Proteas bowlers will be seriously tested, with an injury curse of sorts having hit the pace attack. With Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander long-term casualties, Kyle Abbott is also still out with his hamstring concern. In addition, experienced all-rounder Albie Morkel sustained a back injury while playing for the Titans last week after being called up to the squad.
Coach Russell Domingo will have to call on his Test soldiers Kagiso Rabada and Morné Morkel once more at the start of the series at least, until Abbott and Albie Morkel return. “They (Rabada and Morné Morkel) have bowled a lot of overs, and hopefully there is an opportunity to give them a rest during the series as we have a lot of injuries at the moment,” De Villiers said.
Perhaps the key figure with the ball will be leg-spinner Imran Tahir, especially at a venue such as Bloemfontein, which is likely to have a slowish track devoid of pace and bounce.
The medium pace of Farhaan Behardien and off-spin of JP Duminy will also come in handy, as taking some pace off the ball may be the best strategy to employ against free-flowing stroke-players such as Hales, Root, Morgan and Stokes.
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ODI SQUADS FOR BLOEMFONTEIN
South Africa: Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (captain), David Miller, JP Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Chris Morris, Kagiso Rabada, Morné Morkel, Imran Tahir, David Wiese, Rilee Rossouw, Marchant de Lange.
England: Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (captain), James Taylor, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Chris Woakes, David Willey, Stuart Broad, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley.