There have been numerous astounding batting performances throughout the history of the sport. However, few are comparable to the 162* runs scored by former South African cricketer AB de Villiers against the West Indies in the 2015 ODI World Cup.
De Villiers, the captain at the time, struck 17 fours and eight sixes during his explosive innings. His extraordinary innings enabled the Proteas score 408 runs in the first innings. However, AB de Villiers recently disclosed that he was genuinely ill prior to the game.
The 39-year-old disclosed in an interview that he had been ill the morning of the West Indies match and did not even warm up. In addition, he disclosed that he was napping before batting because he had been unable to sleep the night before due to medications.
“I’ll provide one more illustration of that. 2015, Sydney Cricket Ground. We met the West Indies in a World Cup match. And I was extremely anxious and excited. We must win this game. But at 3:00 a.m. that morning, I became extremely ill in my room and received injections and other treatment. I didn’t slumber. AB de Villiers stated on Jio Cinema’s ‘Home of Heroes’, “When I arrived at the Sydney Cricket Ground, I told the coach, ‘Listen, I don’t think I can warm up; I’m going to take a nap’.”
I honestly felt like I couldn’t play: AB de Villiers
In addition, AB de Villiers reflected on how he felt prior to stepping out to bat and how everything appeared to be moving in slow motion. The former South African batter claimed that he was half-asleep and saw the ball larger than usual on that particular day, which facilitated his success.
“I recall standing there confronting my first ball and thinking, I don’t care if I get out there, I’ll just see the ball and move slowly. Be in my position, understand? And it was remarkable how slowly everything transpired on that day. As the ball grew larger, I fell sleeping. Looking at the sun while standing still and thinking, “This game is actually so enjoyable, so simple, so slow, and so difficult to get into the zone.” “In that zone, it is so enjoyable,” said De Villiers.
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