AB de Villiers fails to run out Corey Anderson. Photo / Jason Oxenham
AB de Villiers fails to run out Corey Anderson. Photo / Jason Oxenham
South African captain AB de Villiers admitted he's never felt worse on a cricket field yet, at Eden Park tonight, he still played a starring role in New Zealand's compelling one-day international victory with four wickets and a ball to spare.
New Zealand advanced to Sunday's final in Melbourne.
Onthe one hand de Villiers' 65 off 45 balls, an innings truncated by the Auckland rain, set New Zealand a formidable Duckworth-Lewis adjusted 298 for victory.
On the other, at 204 for four in the 32nd over, Corey Anderson and Grant Elliott had a mix-up over a single and Anderson was short of his ground at the non-striker's end when the stumps were broken. Unfortunately de Villiers didn't have the ball.
Image 1 of 34: Blacks Caps in a huddle before their semifinal against South Africa at Eden Park. Photo / Brett Phibbs
"I have absolutely no regrets in this tournament, not one," de Villiers said. "We had a few chances to win, mine wasn't the only chance but I tried my best to catch it, I didn't. Life moves on. I didn't take it. We had our chances again after that. If I cost us, I'll gladly take the blame."
It's a mark of respect that when de Villiers came through the Eden Park north stand for his media conference the assembled punters rose in a spontaneous standing ovation to acknowledge the respect for his approach to the spirit and skills of the game.
Using his customary graciousness, de Villiers paid tribute to the spectacle.
"We left it on the field tonight, that's all I can ask of the guys. We had our chances in the second half of the game, but we didn't take them. We badly wanted to take it. It's obviously a painful loss to all those people supporting us back home.
"It's a credit to New Zealand. It was a wonderful game of cricket and they held their nerve to the end."
Grant Elliott helps up Dale Steyn after hitting the match-winning runs off the South African paceman. Photo / Jason Oxenham
De Villiers says he and Dale Steyn had a plan for the penultimate delivery which Grant Elliott sent into the stand.
"We had the option of a yorker, a slower ball or a good length. Elliott was walking across [his stumps] trying to take the pace off. Normally when a player does that he wants you to go for a yorker so he can use the pace down to the boundary. We decided to go for a [good] length ball hoping he'd play and miss.
"He played one of the best shots of his life... probably the best."
De Villiers felt emptiness in the aftermath.
"I have absolutely no idea what to do from here. I don't even know when we're going home. I'll take some time as a captain to be there for the guys as much as I can."
