Big Shoes of AB de Villiers is hard to Fill for South Africa - Dale Steyn

Proteas fast bowler Dale Steyn believes it is going to be hard for South Africa to fill the big shoes of AB de Villiers.

The talismanic batsman surprisingly called it a day from the International arena last week. However, de Villiers confirmed he would continue playing in the domestic circuit for his team, Titans.

Meanwhile, it is known that AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn share a great bonhomie with each other.

Steyn said AB de Villiers could get the best out of the South African players. The fast bowler went on to add de Villiers helped the Proteas players in becoming better in their respective domain.

AB de Villiers has gone down as a modern day great.

Dale Steyn said de Villiers retirement is not only sad for South Africa but also the International cricket, as it has lost a gem of a player.

Steyn added there would be a disappointment not to see de Villiers in action all over again.

“It (cricket) has lost the best. You can see guys playing international cricket and you think they are good enough, but they are not quite there yet. Then you get guys that are good. Then you get guys that are excellent. And then you get AB de Villiers. As a matter of fact, there will be quite a bit of disappointment that he won’t be playing anymore,” Steyn told ESPNcricinfo.

Steyn further said it was a sad day when de Villiers decided to call it a day.

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However, the Proteas talisman bowler went on to add the bowlers can be relieved, as they won’t have any more sleepless night, as they won’t have to bowl to AB.

“I have always felt good playing against the best, so when you see one of the best players drop out of international cricket, it is a sad day, because the point of challenging yourself against the best is gone. From [another] side, it is a relief because a lot of bowlers will go: ‘I’m not going to have as many sleepless nights’,” Dale Steyn noted.

AB got the best out of his players.

Dale Steyn further noted AB de Villiers helped in bettering other players. The linchpin was able to raise the bar, and thus every South African player tried to improve themselves.

“His excellence rubs off on other people. When you are in the company of greatness, there is only one thing to do: to raise your game. I actually sent him a message yesterday and said to him: I don’t think I would be half as good as people think I am if it wasn’t for him being in the team. Without him even knowing, he made more than half the players in our team excellent players,” Steyn said.

De Villiers played 114 Test matches, 228 One-Dayers and 78 Twenty20 Internationals for the South African team.

He scored 8,765 runs in the red-ball form, 9,577 runs in the 50-over format. AB went on to gather 1,672 runs in the shortest format.

AB de Villiers will go as a modern day great. The talisman was instrumental in taking South African cricket to great heights.

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