Dave
There is one thing that nobody can accuse AB of - that is he is not interested in making money out of the game, After all he gets paid about R20 million to play for 8 weeks for Bengalore in the IPL. In the Mzanzi League he also played. This year he also played in the Bengla Desh League, the Windies League and the Pakistan League and even though they are not as big payers as the IPL - he should have made a cool R8 to R10 million from those four comps.
You must remember he played for 8 years for Bengalore and must have made a cool R120 million from that at the minimum. So Lolly take precedence over his international games, Rather play less for more money.
Aside from playing he also write articles for Indian newspapers - I do not think he does that for love and charity either.
I still do not blame him for what he is doing - but why is he not interested to play for SA anymore? That for me is unacceptable.
Sometimes we don't appreciate a moment until it becomes a memory. That moment for me is AB De Villiers, I hope I've appreciated him.
I don't use the term loosely but he is and will always be a class act.
And yes I did see the innings and happy that I did albeit in the wee hours of the morning....it was priceless.
Nobody ever doubted AB's abilities - both in batting and fielding - and nobody ever will. The problem is why did he opt out of international cricket if anything else is to be dealt with.
I have vague memories of AB being upset because an unfit Philander was selected instead of the inform Kyke Abbott. Read somewhere that AB as captain of the team was thinking of registering his dissatisfaction by boycoting the game. I don't know if any of it is true but if it were then one can understand AB being gatvol.
I was one of the advocates who pleaded for somebody to approach AB to plead with him to make himself available to play for the Proteas in the WC
The first IPL he played in he was very good - but that was followed by two disastrously poor performances in the next two games, One would never believe that AB could have been batting in those two games - it must have been somebody we would never have recognized as AB.
Maybe he was after all right in retirement when he did.
Well, to be honest he was lucky to survive the first few overs and he went onto play a brilliant innings but the way he was dismissed in the second game raises a few eyebrows, it was if he didn't want to be at the crease.
Still, he has more to offer than Hendricks and Amla.... a lot more.
I agree with you about the first two IPL matches - but then there was the third in which he was no better than in the second. He struggled against spin bowling.
I think Kohli was not up to real standard too. Think there is something wrong in the Begaluru team. Losing the way the team is losing - makes me wonder what the hell is going on.
Quinton de Kockk is doing well for Mumbai and whomsoever traded him for another player made a balls-up somewhere along the line.
Yes - De Villiers is still better than Amla and Hendricks.
I agree with you about the first two IPL matches - but then there was the third in which he was no better than in the second. He struggled against spin bowling.
I think Kohli was not up to real standard too. Think there is something wrong in the Begaluru team. Losing the way the team is losing - makes me wonder what the hell is going on.
Quinton de Kockk is doing well for Mumbai and whomsoever traded him for another player made a balls-up somewhere along the line.
Yes - De Villiers is still better than Amla and Hendricks.
Mike I think Gibson has been good at elevating our quicks......but after that there's a fat fullstop.
AB was very good yesterday - and so was Kohli - but the bowlers of Bangalore is a joke - they lost the game for them.
Everyone clearly saw what happened at the last world cup with Philander
That was a huge and deliberate slap in the face for AB, after all he had given to SA for all those years, as a captain and as a player.
Kyle Abbot was in supreme form, but he was left out of the squad for not just a player of colour, but an injured player of colour, so it could make up the quota numbers, as dictated by the ANC.
I reckon if any of us had to deal with the constant meddling and frustrations of the ANC in the game that you were the captain of, for your country..... for many years, in all forms of the game, then you would probably feel exactly like AB does now, and probably do what he has done by ensuring that his family is looked after for the next few generations at least.
I'm extremely disappointed he is not playing in the WC, but I can't 100% blame him...…. and none of us know exactly what he went through, throughout his career, only what the limited issues and stories were, that made it to the press, which was bad on it's own.
The message from CSA was clear....we're not interested in winning a WC, it's more important to get the colour mix right. AB must have been bitterly upset.
Thankfully the fool responsible, Lagoot, has been booted.
Spot on Denny
I won't ever forget that interview either..... after the NZ game
AB was absolutely and utterly distraught..... and you could see how incredibly hard it was for him to keep the tears back whilst talking live on air.
He was completely convinced that that was our world cup to win...…. and our very own government took that away from him, as our treasured national captain, and us, as the "rainbow" nation.
For one small second..... just put yourself in his shoes on that day..... the captain of your national cricket team.... you know who should be playing..... the coach insists on who should be playing..... but your government demands who will be played on that day, irrespective of fitness or form.
No wonder AB has resentment and bitterness towards CSA, and I can assure you now, that behind closed doors, there was a hell of a lot more that went on, throughout AB's career, that most will never ever know about, except for AB and a select few.
Cricket was AB's complete life from a very young age, especially when a friend of his brother stood on his cricket cap that he got from Jonty Rhodes, and literally squished it into the ground when they were playing a game in their back yard at home...… AB was furious for a long time after that.... and also more determined to excel at the game
AB was brilliant in a few sports, but his true passion was the game of cricket
I sure do wish he would play for SA again, but I hold no grudge against him for not doing so