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Wanderers wicket excites AB

Johannesburg - Proteas Test captain AB de Villiers is excited by what he has seen from the Wanderers strip ahead of Thursday’s third Test against England.

The Proteas go into the match knowing that only victory will keep their hopes of winning the four-match series alive.

The wicket in the second Test in Cape Town heavily favoured the batsmen, but De Villiers believes that this time around there will be something in it for everyone.

“It looks like a normal Wanderers Test wicket, it looks like a really good wicket,” the skipper said.

“Maybe a touch dryer than normal because we haven’t had a lot of rain in the past few months but there is always a very good contest between bat and ball at this ground and that excites me.

“We haven’t had much of that in the past few months … we know we’ve got the skill to make things happen.”

De Villiers said he hadn’t felt too different in the build-up to the match since he had been handed the captaincy, though he did see it benefitting his batting.

 “You’re never guaranteed of performance but I’m definitely more motivated with added responsibility. I enjoy it,” he said.

“I enjoy people doubting me and it motivates me to do better.

“The nice thing about captaincy is that you’re completely focused on the team and your personal performance is put aside and that is also a good thing more often than not … not focusing too much on areas of your batting but just enjoying yourself out there and keeping your eye on the ball.

“I’m constantly thinking about the situation of the game and that allows me to free myself up a bit and not focus on my personal performance too much. We’ll see how I react to the added responsibility … hopefully in a good way.”

South Africa are 1-0 down in the series having lost the opener in Durban before playing to a draw at Newlands.

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