If there is a day AB de Villiers would like to erase from his memory then it is that fateful day when South Africa lost the semi-final clash against New Zealand in the 2015 ODI World Cup. The Proteas was very close to making the ODI World Cup final but as it has been the case with them in past few years, could not win the last moments of the game.
In his autobiography, AB: The Autobiography, de Villiers recollected those moments which led to the loss of South Africa in the semi-final. In one of the chapters of the book, de Villiers has written that he was not sure if the final XI was the best chosen to play that match. He also hinted that quota also worked in choosing the final XI.
De Villiers has written, “We had been assured that Cricket South Africa was the only national governing body in the country that had declined to set a target for the number of players of colour to be included in the national team but there was a delicate balance to be struck and it was generally understood that, as they chose the side, the national selectors would be conscious of providing opportunities for at least four players of colour.
“So what had happened? Had Vernon, who was officially classified as coloured, been selected ahead of Kyle, who was officially white, to ensure there were four players of colour in the semi-final? Or had the decision been made for purely cricketing reasons?”
De Villiers, however, maintains that the loss was due to their inability to convert the five chances into wickets. He has also written that it was toughest night of his life. The night of the match, after they had lost to the Kiwis.
