http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Allan-Robert-Border-c43726 de Villiers - Cometh the hour, cometh the man – Part 2 - Opinion
Continued from Part 1...
The tricks of mixing the bowling up or deploying some of South Africa’s best fielders in the right positions was a hallmark of a captain who had to bear the brunt of significant criticism in the lead up to this all important clash. His acknowledgement of
the consequences of faltering at Trent Bridge stung him into action. Had he not been prudent, this would have been the first ODI series loss for his team under his captaincy. In a country as sport mad as South Africa, that would have been a damning reality
for this magnificent cricketer.
De Villiers however, continued to remain composed on the field for the entire course of the game. This attitude stood in stark contrast to other South African captains of the past, of whom many have cracked under pressure amid harsh criticism. De Villiers
however, considered the shudders of losing as something distinct and never let past failings haunt him at all.
His contribution with the bat however, would go down as one of the finest ODI knocks by a South African captain to date. Chasing a paltry 183 runs to win, South Africa were rattled to the very core by a fiery spell of swing bowling from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/JM-Anderson-c1705. Vague
flashbacks of choking under pressure began to surface as the players in the dressing room began to gulp over what looked like impending doom. South Africa found themselves in shambles at 14 for 3 inside five overs. The Poms were clearly on top and were understandably
elated over the fact that yet another series victory could well and truly come their way. South Africa needed something special to deny http://www.senore.com/Cricket/AB-de-Villiers-c887.
Calm, astute, purposeful and meaningful, is the best way to describe de Villier’s fluid innings at Trent Bridge. His back foot push for four as his first boundary, sent down alarms in the England camp, from which many began to acknowledge that they needed
to see the back of him, and quickly. Prior to this, de Villiers had failed to come up with any substantive score in the series as he was dismissed by playing rash shots on two occasions. Not a single rash stroke was played this time around, and with the calm
head of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 out of trouble, and take them to a commanding position.
His 75 runs off 79 deliveries may have been overshadowed by Hashim Amla’s sweet timing, but the truth was that without the captain’s contribution, South African stared at impending doom. With De Villiers at the crease, there was a strange sense of inevitability
about the result in the end, as South Africa muscled their way towards the target in just 35 overs. His ability to tackle the likes of Bopara and Tredwell for example was commendable, as he milked singles through the off and leg side and ensured that the scoreboard
kept ticking. The relentless run flow of his bat would have sent shudders down Alastair Cook’s back. In the end South Africa galloped to a thumping three-wicket victory with over 15 overs to spare.
That innings and his calm approach on the field, typified a man who could become a unifying force in South African cricket. The numerous roles that he plays as an administrator, a batsman and a wicket keeper, are an indication of what de Villiers has to
offer in the long run. If he continues to play in the manner in which he did on Wednesday and rises to the big occasion, then he could well and truly cement himself as one of South Africa’s finest captains.
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