01 July,2020 01:38 PM IST | New Delhi | IANS
AB de Villiers
Former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers has recalled the moment when the Proteas were sent crashing out of the 2015 World Cup semi-final at the hands of New Zealand.
The Kiwis stunned the South Africa by four wickets and just one ball to spare as they progressed into the final against eventual-champions Australia.
de Villiers recalled the match and stated whilst it was a great game of cricket, it took him a lot of time to come to terms with the heartbreaking defeat.
He also admitted the defeat played a significant role in him deciding to hang up his boots in 2018 from all forms of the game.
ALSO READ
T20 World Cup 2024: AB De Villiers congratulates SA after win vs WI
"Dhoni should be CSK captain as long as he is playing IPL": AB de Villiers
T20 World Cup 2024 | "I feel he's a number three batsman": De Villiers on Kohli
'Gambhir felt conflicts would bring the best out of him': Ex-player Atul Wassan
'Quite bravado': De Villiers on Pandya's captaincy for Mumbai Indians
"I wouldn't say from a criticism point of view...from a personal point of view, yeah it played a huge role (in his retirement)," de Villiers was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
"I have a lot of respect for it.. there's nothing, no one did me in or the team. We got beaten by sport on the night and it was actually a beautiful thing but it was difficult for me to get through that year and to specifically meet up with the team again a few months later, having to go again. Here we go again, we have to restart but I am like hold on, I am not over this World Cup. It hurt too much.
"So yes, I am sensitive and those kinds of things play a huge role in how I feel and my ambitions and all of that stuff," he added.
There were reports before the 2019 World Cup that de Villiers was ready to come out of retirement and play in the showpiece event in England and Wales but the move didn't materialise in the end.
South Africa went through a torrid time at the multi-national tournament as they crashed out of the group stage itself. They finished seventh after winning just three matches out of a possible nine.
Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
