Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has stressed the importance of a strong team over relying solely on a phenomenal captain or individual talent when it comes to clinching the Cricket World Cup 2023 title. De Villiers pointed out that the victories in 2011 and 2019 were attributed not just to MS Dhoni or Ben Stokes but to the collective efforts of the Indian and English cricket teams. The cricket legend also expressed his disapproval of the prevailing culture among cricket fans, where individual achievements are glorified at the expense of team contributions.
“Cricket is a team game, it’s not a player lifting the World Cup. I see that way too often on social platforms. MS Dhoni did not win the World Cup, India won the World Cup, so keep that in mind. Don’t forget that. Ben Stokes did not lift the trophy in Lord’s back in 2019, it was team England,” AB de Villiers mentioned on his YouTube channel.
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Previously, he had showered compliments on his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Mohammed Siraj, commending the fast bowler for delivering a stellar performance that led his team to secure the Asia Cup 2023 championship.
“I think what stands out with him is his attitude, and we’ve spoken about this before on this series. Your attitude can really uplift you if you never give up. And if you keep trying and you make your attitude, catch you with your teammates, the people want you there. The fans want you there, and that’s where you start doing some brilliant things and special things on the park. And Mohammad Siraj is one of those players.”
“He always just keeps coming back. He’s always in your face and I’ve mentioned this before. The bowlers who are respected the most are the guys that never gave up. They would always compete for every single ball, be in your face. And that’s what Siraj does,” De Villiers added on his YouTube channel.