AB de Villiers’ inconvenient truth for Proteas fans

AB de Villiers has an inconvenient truth for cricket fans: it turns out that you can play too much for your country.

When the Proteas star decided earlier this year not to play Test cricket, there was outrage from many.

How could a player be so “entitled” that he could choose when he wants to play for South Africa?

Ironically, De Villiers was never apologetic about that.

He always spoke of the privilege of playing for his country but never said he regretted his decision.

A passionate, conservative fan base couldn’t understand it.

Then, in August, De Villiers made his play: he would hand the ODI captaincy to Faf du Plessis and play Tests again.

The key to his decision was the fact that he was allowed to have a proper off-season again.

“Playing for the Titans (in the Ram Slam T20 challenge) has been a great ‘find’ for me, even at this late stage of my career,” said De Villiers.

“It made me realised that no matter how many runs you score, you can still get better. Practice really does make perfect.”

One can legitimately ask the question what a player who’s scored almost 20 000 international runs can still learn.

But that’s where De Villiers’ thinking is misunderstood.

It’s not about learning new things, it’s about remembering the lessons you’ve learnt previously.

“You get into such a bubble when you play international cricket. You play so much cricket that you actually don’t get time to work on your game,” said De Villiers.

“For me to enjoy the game, I need to be fresh. I’ve always loved this game and I feel fresh again because I’ve had three to four months off after our horrible ICC Champions Trophy campaign.

“I’ve been able to work on my body, spend time with the family and worked on skills I haven’t paid attention to for a long time. I’m just appreciating the basics again.”

As a result, the Proteas can look forward to a De Villiers eager to be at his best when India and Australia tour here later this season.

He might’ve only played limited overs cricket before the India Tests but insists his “200% ready”.

“I’ve had an off-season where I’ve worked on my technique. Last season, in the peak of our international campaign, I was actually less ready than I am now,” said De Villiers.

“I’m available for the warm-up match against Zimbabwe (before December 26’s day-night Test in Port Elizabeth). I think I’m going to play in that three-day game. I don’t think I need it necessarily but it will still be nice to spend some longer time at the crease. I feel so ready.”

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