De Villiers stands and delivers
CRICKET: AB de Villiers has opened up about the nervous 90s, brutal burnout and the “embarrassment” that stung South Africa into action against Australia.
De Villiers has wound back the clock in Port Elizabeth, completing his first Test century in more than three years and putting his country on the path to victory in the second Test against the Aussies.
That barren stretch includes a period from January 2016 until December 2017, when the 34year-old took a break from Test cricket.
De Villiers (pictured) has a knack of saving his best for Australia, with Sunday’s unbeaten knock of 126 his sixth Test ton against the tourists.
“I’m always very motivated playing against these guys,” de Villiers said. “The events in the first Test were uncalled for and unnecessary, but I won’t say that fired us up. Going one-nil down there (fired us up).
“It felt like we were embarrassed in a way on our home soil, so we felt like it was time for us to turn it around.”
The rivalry between Australia and South Africa is part of the reason he returned to Test cricket after the sabbatical.
De Villiers insisted he was “always going to come back”, but admitted he was completely burnt out prior to taking a break.
“I was just tired of playing. I needed to get away,” he said.
De Villiers was a class above teammates and Australia’s pace attack at St George’s Park, steadying for the hosts after a collapse of 4-28 on day two.
The veteran has now scored 197 runs in the series, with his sole dismissal coming when he was run out for a duck after a mix-up with batting partner Aiden Markram in Durban.