Zimpapers Logo

JOHANNESBURG. — In the later stages of his cricket career, AB de Villiers batted in a box. It wasn’t a real box, visible to those around him, but an imaginary box, and it helped De Villiers negotiate what he had to do. Outside of the box he wouldn’t step. All he would do at practice was concentrate on what balls came into the box, where his weight was going and how he was moving his hands.

It was the perfect method — pare things down to the essentials. Don’t complicate what only suffers from complication. Fourteen years of international cricket had taught him this.

Coaches would be dumbfounded. He had a pretty relaxed approach to practising at the best of times, but there he would be, on the eve of an important test match, and Russell Domingo or Ottis Gibson would be throwing him balls.

The guys in the net alongside him would be sweating, shirts off, dealing with the quicks, lapping the spinners, fretting, while he would be unconcerned. He’d be batting in his box.

After 20 or so balls, he might well say: “Thanks, Ottis, that’s great, I’m seeing it really well today. I feel fine,” and head off to rip the lid off an energy drink.

Gibson would shake his head and chuckle, wondering whether he was earning his salary or if he was taking Cricket SA for a ride. — Sport24.