Under-fire De Villiers: I don't need to prove anyone wrong
AB de Villiers insists he has nothing to prove despite heading into South Africa's Twenty20 series against England on the back of a disappointing run of form.
The Proteas failed to progress from their group in the ICC Champions Trophy, losing their last two 50-over matches against eventual winners Pakistan and runners-up India.
It was a disappointing campaign and followed a 2-1 one-day international series defeat against England, leading to heightened scrutiny over De Villiers' role as captain – the 33-year-old made just 20 runs in his three Champions Trophy outings and went for the first golden duck of his ODI career against Pakistan.
However, the Proteas skipper insists he is "full of energy" and is eager to get back to scoring runs and leading the team forward as soon as possible.
"It was a tough few days after the Champions Trophy, to go through that phase of reflecting and to hear some of the criticism. It's never easy but I have always been the kind of guy to see the positive in that and see opportunity to improve," said De Villiers ahead of the first T20 against England in Southampton on Wednesday.
"These three matches give me that opportunity as a player and as a captain for the team.
"I don't feel like I need to prove anyone wrong or prove something to someone. I just want to go play. I feel like a youngster starting my career again.
"I am really full of energy and love playing. I just want to score some runs again and captain the team to a few good wins.
"I feel like I am playing very well. I had a couple of bad dismissals [at the Champions Trophy]. The first game I tried to take it on a bit. The second game I don't know how the ball went up in the air like that. The third game I felt like I was going to get 200 off five balls so I got run out.
"There's nothing wrong with my form. The results are not showing.
"I am ready to move on. I know I am still a good player, I know the team can still achieve amazing things and it's important for me not to think about what happened in the past. I am not going to spend too much energy thinking about the last 10 or 12 tournaments I have played in."