(Credit SA Cricket)
Former South African cricket captain AB de Villiers commented on Australia’s absence from the knockout stages of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, expressing his satisfaction at their non-participation. He mentioned it was a welcome change to not encounter the Australians, known for their strong performance in crucial matches, particularly highlighting the relief of not facing the reigning champions in the semifinals this year.
AB de Villiers reflected on Australia’s departure from the T20 World Cup 2024, noting the irony that Afghanistan, a team defeated by Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup, ultimately knocked them out in this tournament. He also pointed out that Glenn Maxwell’s dismissal was a turning point in their Super-8 encounter, which impacted the game’s momentum significantly.
Ab de Villiers said on his YouTube channel: “Firstly, it was very refreshing not to see them in the knockouts. And I mean it, with a lot of respect, because we know the Aussies in knockout stages, they are brutal. They generally get the job done. So, it’s nice not to have them there. And it was refreshing for South Africa not to have to play Australia in the semifinals. It’s refreshing. But all due respect to Australia, they’ve been incredible over the years with World Cups.
I won’t say they took it too easy. World Cups—it’s a tricky one. You either do it or you don’t. It comes down to small moments. And it’s quite ironic that Afghanistan was the team to finally knock them out, beating Bangladesh and forcing Australia to fall out of the knockout stages. In the ODI World Cup, it was Australia that knocked Afghanistan out in that huge game when Glenn Maxwell scored a double hundred. He didn’t have the same kind of luck this time around.”
De Villiers offered his perspective on Cricket Australia’s choice of Mitchell Marsh as the T20I captain instead of Pat Cummins. He suggested that Cummins likely made the decision himself and emphasized that Cricket Australia did not overlook him for the role.
AB de Villiers voiced his support for Mitchell Marsh’s captaincy during the T20 World Cup 2024, acknowledging Pat Cummins’ rapid success as a captain. However, he emphasized that Marsh shouldn’t be dismissed as a poor captain solely based on results, suggesting there are other factors to consider.
The Proteas icon added: “Cummins has had a lot of success. He’s also a Test captain and an ODI captain. Doing all three formats these days is not so easy anymore. So, we all felt in the Jio Cinema studios that Cummins made that call himself. And you can’t say it’s a mistake. I mean, Mitchell Marsh is a fantastic player and a really good leader. You can’t always look at the results.”
De Villiers also noted that throughout the T20 World Cup 2024, the Australian team appeared to be in good spirits and gave their utmost effort, despite facing challenges in the tournament. He commented that Australia seemed to struggle particularly on turning, slow, and low-bouncing wickets, which are not typically conducive to their style of play.
