South Africa Captain AB de Villiers said he’s banking on his world-class team to upstage the West Indies today when the two sides meet in the opening of the 2016 Tri-Nations Day/Night 50-Over Tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
The dynamic right-hander, during a pre-match press interview, said that while his personal record against the hosts is good, he believes his side’s strength is in their unity and they will look to work as a team in order to overcome today’s opponents.
“It’s always important to perform no matter who you play. I’ve got a lot of pride in my performances, so I’m hoping to have a really good series. But there’s 15 of us here that are world class players and I know it takes 15 to win a tournament like this,” he said.
“So starting tomorrow [today] I’m going to try get some momentum going in the team and if it’s my time to shine and get the momentum going for the boys so be it. But there are lots of world class players we’re going to rely on for this series.”
The 32-year-old Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, who helped his team reach the final of the Indian Premier League 20/20 tournament, and who also holds the current world record for the fastest One Day International ton off 31 balls against today’s opponents, said he was feeling good physically and was ready for the tournament.
He added that despite playing a lot of T20 lately it will not be difficult for transition to 50 overs. “It’s not too hard. It’s white ball cricket. I always said I don’t change too much of my personal game in the three formats. I just like to keep it really simple and I’m not looking to do anything different tomorrow. I’m going to watch the ball and stick to the basics,” the South African said.
He said it was important for him to think smartly as skipper and to use his bowlers to the best of their abilities during the power-play as well as take some time to settle in. De Villiers said he expects the West Indies to play their typical aggressive game and lauded the hosts’ match-winners who he said can win games for them.
“I think they’ll play the normal West Indies game,” he said. “They’ll hit a couple balls around the park and try and win the game. They always seem to enjoy their cricket I don’t see them playing different. They have a lot of world class players in the team, we have a lot of respect for them but we’ll look to get the momentum on our side.”
Asked about the current mood in the camp ahead of the Tri-Nations start, the South African skipper said, “The mood is very good, it’s really nice to see the boys again we haven’t been together as a team for a while so it’s nice to get back together. Team spirit has been good for ages now. We have a really good culture in the side. We will rely on things like culture and past experiences to help us.”
De Villiers, who averages a healthy strike rate of 74 against the West Indies, and first came to Guyana back in 2005, said he was happy to be back in the Caribbean, more so Guyana to be playing cricket. “It’s a great, great privilege to be in Guyana. I haven’t been here in ages; one of my first tours was in 2005 so it’s nice to be back here with the boys and hopefully win some cricket matches.”
