There is not an iota of doubt that AB de Villiers is one of the
most skilled cricketers on the planet but his hard working ethics and
athleticism leave no doubt that he could excel in any sport he picks up.
There are a lot of lies on social media and memes that list the
other sports that AB made a mark in before dedicating himself to cricket and it
was startling to see just what a prodigy AB was.
But AB, humble as he is, has poured cold water on the notion
he’s the multi-talented sportsman he’s been made out to be and he decided to
bust the myths spread by his fans.
In his recently released book, AB: The Autobiography, here are
the myths and AB’s clarifications in his own words from his book, a must-read
for every cricket and sports lover.
Myth 1: 'De Villiers was
shortlisted for the South African national hockey squad,'
False
In truth, I played hockey for one year at high school and was a
member of the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool Under-16a team that beat our near
neighbours and rivals at Pretoria Boys' High for the first time, but I was
never shortlisted for the national hockey squad, or ever came remotely close to
that level.
Myth 2: 'De Villiers was
shortlisted for the South African national football squad,'
False
I have never played any organised football (soccer). We used to
kick a ball around during break at school and the game has become part of the
Proteas' warm-up routine. That is all.
Myth 3: 'De Villiers was the
captain of South Africa junior rugby,'
False
I played rugby at primary school and high school, and enjoyed
every minute, but I never represented South Africa at any level, either at SA
Schools or SA Under-20, and was never captain.
Myth 4: 'De Villiers is still
the holder of six national school swimming records,'
False
As far as I recall, I did set an Under-9 breaststroke record at
Warmbaths Primary School but I have never held any national school swimming
records, not even for a day.
Myth 5: 'De Villiers has the
record fastest 100 metres time among South African junior sprinters,'
False
I did not sprint at all at school. Elsewhere on the Internet, to
my embarrassment, there are articles in which the great sprinter Usain Bolt is
asked which cricketer could beat him in a sprint and he replies 'AB de
Villiers'.
Maybe, just maybe, I would beat him if I were riding a
motorbike.
Myth 6: 'De Villiers was a
member of the national junior Davis Cup tennis team,'
Almost true
As far as I know, there was no such entity as the national
junior Davis Cup team, but I did play tennis as a youngster, loved the game and
was occasionally ranked as the national No. 1 in my age group.
Myth 7: 'De Villiers was a
national Under-19 badminton champion,'
False
I never played badminton at school. If my memory is correct, I
have only ever played one game of badminton in my entire life, and that was
just a fun game with Mark Boucher.
Myth 8: 'De Villiers received
a national medal from Nelson Mandela for a science project,'
False
I never undertook any science project of any significance,
certainly nothing to attract the attention of the president. I was privileged
to meet Madiba twice, both times as a member of the Proteas squad.
Myth 9: 'De Villiers plays off
a handicap of scratch in golf,'
False
I played golf often as a youngster with my brothers and with my
friends, without ever receiving a formal lesson. I have always loved the game
and enjoy driving the ball a reasonable distance. One of my proudest moments
occurred when I hit a drive down the middle of the fairway, past my elder
brother's drive, and overheard Wessels and my father debating my swing and
trying to understand why the ball travelled so far.
In any event, as I recall, I did get my official handicap down
to a respectable one when I was 15 but there's not much time to play golf these
days and my handicap has drifted to nine.
These are the facts:
decent at golf, useful at rugby and tennis when I was young, and enjoying
cricket ever since. The errors will doubtless remain on the Internet and people
will continue to believe I was some kind of prodigy at all those different
sports, but the truth will hopefully somehow endure.
So, check your facts before sharing!! :D
