Top 103 Quotes & Sayings by AB de Villiers
Explore popular quotes and sayings by a South African athlete AB de Villiers.
Last updated on December 3, 2024.
It was a bit of a surprise when the national captaincy came my way.
You live for those pressure moments. Through an international career, you have ups and downs, but you always feel you are going to be tested in moments like that. It has taken me years to feel comfortable and to feel like I have good composure in those situations.
I believe I am strong mentally. My breaking points might be bigger than most players. I think it's because of the way I grew up with my two older brothers. They pushed my limits quite often - once every day, I think! I think that played a big role in my breaking point being bigger than most players. Not all players.
If you pick up that information, the first metre or two, the ball coming out of the hand, you can analyse what's coming.
Sometimes you don't quite realise what you have achieved until you look back.
It's never easy to lose. But life is not all sunshine and roses.
When I'm fielding at point, I'm running all over that field, and I'm really tired by the end of the innings.
I don't overthink things.
If I play all the IPL games the whole season, I do get a bit tired towards the end.
I love keeping. I'm in the game all the time. I see angles that I wouldn't normally see, and I feel part of what the captain does.
In my heart, international cricket is the way forward. That's where you want to play; that's where the pressure really lies. That's where you make your name.
It will never be much fun until a Proteas team finally goes out and wins one of these ICC limited-overs tournaments. That will happen one day.
Wrong is wrong. Guys try to find a way to get the ball to reverse, but you have to stay in the laws.
Winning an official World Cup with the South African team had become my burning ambition.
After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired.
I watch the ball, and I just play. I have always said that I don't feel there's a big difference between the three formats. It is just a mindset, applying yourself to the wicket and conditions, and that's always been the way that I have played.
The main lesson I learned from 2015 is that a World Cup doesn't define a player's career.
I rest a bit more when I keep. The only thing I have to look after is my back and using different muscle groups.
Obviously I want to be there at the end every time, winning games for the team.
I know my game pretty well, and that is the secret to success in most sports.
It's never been about my own runs. If I can score as many as possible to get us into a position to win, then I'll be a very happy man.
I have always wanted to play at the top of the order.
I know what makes me good, and it's not a bat.
I accept that it is not always moonshine and roses, and you can't expect things must always go your way.
Even the thunderous master-blasters, like Andre Russell and MS Dhoni, men who now make scoring more than 20 runs per over look simple, often thrive on the right side of an incredibly slender gap between six and out. They are not more lucky than anyone else. They are more brilliant.
I announced my retirement from international cricket in May 2018 because I wanted to reduce my workload and spend more time with my wife and young sons. Some have insisted I was motivated purely by money. They are wrong.
As a captain, I can't make the same mistake twice. As a player, you can get away with that, but if the captain does that, then it affects the whole team.
My personal goals have always and will always take a backseat to the team.
An IPL match may be decided when the ball passes inches beyond the grasp of a fielder on the boundary or when a direct hit catches a batsman inches short of the crease.
I can't keep playing 10-11 months a year and keep being sharp after 15 years of international cricket.
Captaining South Africa was definitely not one of my goals.
The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me.
I believe all teams choke in certain situations.
My mindset in all three formats, in any situation, is exactly the same. I just want to get myself in, get myself a nice foundation to hopefully attack and dominate the bowlers.
I like to entertain the crowd. Personally I like to entertain my team-mates first, but when the crowd gets going, it is amazing.
There's a lot of reasons I had to move on. Family's definitely a big part of it. And the longevity of my career - I played for 15 years, and I was just tired of the whole international scene. It's quite busy. Very stressful.
We want to swing the ball as much as we can. We try and get it to reverse, putting more sweat on one side and things like that. But we don't cheat.
There are lots of mentally very tough players that I have played against and with.
It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when, and in what format I play for the Proteas.
It's important on any English wicket to leave well.
For me, in green and gold, it must be everything or nothing.
I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.
It's always been about the team; it's never been about myself.
There are so many dreams that I'd like to follow.
I have played incredible knocks with the lightest of bats.
For my part, I am not a great believer in bad luck on the cricket field, in business - in fact, in any walk of life.
I truly believe that players who tell you they don't feel the pressure of international cricket, of being away from home for months at a time, are lying to everyone and themselves.
I'm a bit undercooked when it comes to keeping in Test cricket, but I've had a lot of experience in T20 and ODIs for my country, and my keeping has improved a lot.
I will always be grateful to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years.
It's important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket.
I try and watch the ball closely. I've played the game for many years now, and I know my talent will take over if I just watch the ball and enjoy myself out there.
There are big tournaments going on around the world, and some of them you cannot ignore because, financially, they make a huge difference in our lives.
Nothing comes close to the IPL, to be honest.
We all grow up dreaming of playing international cricket.
I don't care about hundreds, fifties, averages.
I am fully aware that cricket is like a second religion in Pakistan.
The fear of failing... not quite the fear of failing, but the uncertainty of whether you are going to perform or not, is there every single game I have played in my life. It will always be there.
To cross the line for the team, to have an impact on winning the game - that's why I play this game.
The most important people to please are your family.
I will continue to be the biggest supporter of Faf du Plessis and the Proteas.
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