"He was a man who could figure out little things" - AB de Villiers names Shane Warne as the toughest bowler he has faced
Former South African skipper AB de Villiers recently named legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne as the toughest bowler he has ever faced.
De Villiers, whose international career spanned almost 15 years, has dominated nearly every bowler on the planet. However, the Proteas batter was troubled by a charismatic Warne during his early days of international cricket.
Recalling in an interview with JioCinema how Shane Warne would notice minute details about a batter, AB de Villiers stated:
"Oh, I think Shane Warne in 2006 the first time I travelled to Australia, not so much because of skill and technique and also just the presence of the man and the aura he carried. And obviously, I was quite inexperienced. I knew from the get-go he was going to get me out. When I faced, the first ball, went like, it’s nothing to this.
"I mean, it’s pretty simple. But when I looked up, he was looking at me like, 'What now?'" de Villiers continued. "Gilly was talking about my bat lift beyond the stumps. And it was just I got 60.
"That game felt easy, but he was just a smart, incredible player, and it worked out pretty quickly. That’s my technique. It’s not quite spot-on when it comes to playing straight. So, he was really going slow, slow, slider straight.
"And I missed the straight one and not long after that, that was my weakness for 2005, 06 and 07, I would miss straight balls, especially angling a bit back. I would fall over, and touch my head. My bat lift was a little bit beyond my back and I had to pay the juice.
"I mean I had to go back to the drawing board to figure out my technique, but he was a man who could figure out little things like that and understand there’s something not right with this guy’s bat lift. Let’s go straight and just sided it in there and ultimately I missed one."
Talking about modern-day bowlers, AB de Villiers picked India's Jasprit Bumrah and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan as two bowlers who would go on to trouble him the most.
"I mean, as got older but more experienced, there came new challenges of bowlers like Bumrah was always very challenging because he was so competitive, he would never back down, is always in your face so I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the way he plays his cricket," de Villiers continued. "I got a hold of him even a few times. He came back at me and got a hold of me a few times and I love that competitiveness.
"Rashid Khan, tough to pick at night once again," he continued. "Got him a few times and he would always come back. Always in your face. I hit him with three sixes, as he was trying to get me out the next ball. And those are the kind of bowlers I always found difficult to face and always had a lot of respect for."
"I just want to be a good person" - AB de Villiers on where he sees himself in 5 years
Since his retirement from the IPL in 2021, AB de Villiers is seen spending more time with his family. He also recently appeared as a commentator during IPL 2023.
When quizzed about where he sees himself in the next five years, the legendary cricketer stated:
"Emerson quotes when he talks about leaving the world a better place. Whether it’s in a cricket team or away from the game, the dad that I am to my kids, the friend that I am, those are the kind of things that are absolutely the most I wouldn’t be able to live with not being, not ticking those boxes when I go and leave this world one day.
"So, in five years’ time, if it might be, I just want to be a good person," de Villiers added. "Want to be humble. I have time for other people, whether it’s in a cricket team or away from it. I don’t know. We’ll see."
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