AB de Villiers is pleased with the way things are coming together in the Proteas camp ahead of the World Cup.

The ODI captain was all smiles when he addressed the media in the aftermath of his sides 63-run victory over Zimbabwe in the final pool game of the Triangular series. The result meant that South Africa finished at the summit of the points table and will take on Australia in the final on Saturday.

De Villiers was proud of South Africa’s performance against what he feels is a very competitive Zimbabwe team. He didn’t want to go into detail, but acknowledged that there is a lot of potential in their squad.

‘There’s nothing wrong with Zimbabwe’s cricket,’ said De Villiers. ‘They have all the talent in the world, their batsmen just need to get in the runs.’

Shifting focus to his own group of players, the Proteas skipper singled out two major positives. The most obvious being Faf du Plessis’ exceptional form, while a mention was also given to a much improved performance from Rilee Rossouw.

‘It’s the best form he [Du Plessis] has shown in international cricket, but I’ve always known he was capable of that,’ said De Villiers. ‘He has now cemented the number three position.

‘It was also good to see Rilee playing well. He got a good 30 and bowled a couple overs.’

Although certain players were singled out, De Villiers emphasized  that their personal achievements were merely contributing to the bigger picture. He clearly outlined that the team was working towards the World Cup and where they would like to be at that stage.

‘Our immediate goal is to win this tournament,’ explained De Villiers. ‘We are looking to work our way up in the rankings. It’s not our sole focus, as it will take care of itself with good results, but ideally we would like to be number one by the World Cup.’

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