AB de Villiers recalls last-ball chat with Dale Steyn in 2015 semi-final

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers opened up on the 2015 World Cup nerve-wracking semi-final against New Zealand, reflecting on the chat with pacer Dale Steyn before the final ball of the match.

Back in 2015, New Zealand defeated South Africa by four wickets with just one ball to spare to set up the final with Australia.

Speaking on the Beard Before Wicket Podcast, AB de Villiers reflected on the key moments, pressure, and the crowd at Eden Park during that semi-final

“We had so many chances to win that semi and I think we had Aussiey’s number in that final,” he said.

“Never know now, but we beat them quite a few times leading up to that. So, we had a bit of a mental edge, and I was incredibly excited to go and face them in the final, which obviously never happened, ” he lamented.

He also recalled the noisy crowd that day and the impact on South Africa while rueing the dropped chances.

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“That day at Eden Park, one of the hardest challenges of my life. It was so loud.  They [the crowd] did well to sort of intimidate us. I thought we played well, played a good game of cricket, just fumbled a couple in the field, and it is what it is now,” revealed De Villiers.

The batting maestro highlighted the pivotal moment before the final ball, revealing a chat with Dale Steyn.

“I had told Dale,’ You get that natural away shape, go hard length, cross seam, just fire it in, beat the bat,” he said.

“Looking back now, maybe a yorker. But at the time, I honestly thought that was the right plan. Hard length, he can hit it straight up, you’ve got him. And he pulled it off.”

Following that ball, De Villiers and the South Africa players became emotional and were seen lying on the ground.

“That’s why I dropped to my knees, because I immediately felt like, it’s on me. And that’s what you feel like—you know, that’s how we play the game, that’s how you want sportsmen to play: to put everything on the line and feel like you’ve got everything to lose,” he concluded.

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