There's more to cricket than just winning a World Cup, claims AB de Villiers

As one of the great disruptors to the sport, in the way it is played and changing the subsequent dynamics of it with his larger than life batting ability, AB de Villiers has frogged himself to the pantheon of sporting greats. But what has eluded him and his legacy is the absence of enough winning trophies in his cabinet, which sometimes made himself a favourite topic for online trolls. But the talismanic South African shut that argument up by saying there is more to a cricketer’s life than winning one World Cup, even if it is about being called the best team in the world.

"As a person, I'm extremely competitive and all I want to do is win. I would never say that 'Nah, it's okay. It doesn't matter'. But if you look at the 2019 World Cup (England vs New Zealand final), if that is what winning a World Cup is about, then I don't know. There were so many little moments where England could have lost the World Cup. And I wouldn't just say that it’s individual brilliance which won them the World Cup, either. It can't just be that 'We won a World Cup and now we're the best and now my career is made', there's gotta be more to it. I won't say that it makes me feel better, that we haven't won one yet, but I know there's more to it than just winning,” de Villiers said in the “Super Over Podcast” with Jemimah Rodrigues and JP Duminy.

De Villiers, who dropped a catch in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, which ultimately proved costly for South Africa, had cried his heart out and even when he dragged himself to the press conference, there was a look of desolation. His mind was at a distant place, perhaps counting the cost of one dropped catch for a player who had taken many breath-taking catches over the years. And it is understandable how the Saffer actually felt the predicament of Trent Boult, a champion fielder who dropped the catch of Ben Stokes to let go of the 2019 World Cup final.

“Looking at the World Cup, I watched the highlights the other day, and I saw Trent Boult letting that catch go down at the boundary line. I can't imagine what he must have gone through in the last year, but that was the World Cup done. I mean, if it comes down to one catch, you know how fickle it is. That's when you realize that it's actually just a game and all you can do is give it your best shot; that's what it comes down to. Ideally you want to win, but if you don't, you have to take the learning out of it and remember the great experiences you had," the former South African skipper added.