A.B. de Villiers, who smashed West Indies bowlers from pillar to post on Friday, said only hard work earns a batsman the right to dominate in such a fashion.
“You get into that kind of mode, and it doesn’t happen very often, it’s quite a good feeling to feel one step ahead of the bowlers, that’s the main thing,” said the South Africa skipper.
“You get a really good gut feel for what they’re trying to do. Its part of cricket, you work really hard trying to get in, you work really hard to get some momentum behind you, and then you’ve earned the right to take control of the game.
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“Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. I got dropped a couple of times which helped me really free up and dominate a bit at the end.”
“A bit” is something off an understatement and the West Indies bowlers must be heartily sick of the sight of de Villiers.
The sheer range of shots he played on Friday was breathtaking but he admitted to feeling out of sorts when he came out to join Rilee Rossouw in the middle with his side becalmed at 146 for three.
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Playing a big part “Rilee played a big part in me getting off my feet today,” he said. “I didn’t feel too well going out to the wicket, a bit flat. He had a lot energy about him, a lot of intensity, getting into a lot of good positions, making it look flat out there.
“We were getting a lot of momentum behind us at a really quick pace. We’re both really aggressive players, we ran a lot of twos, and all of that together helped in me having a go.
“It’s great to see the team like that, hustling around. You could see their eyes were open, ready to fight. It’s a great turnaround after loss at the MCG.”