in the traditional sense of the term, but there’s no denying the fact that he was a jack of all trades even as a teenager. From cricket to hockey, rugby to swimming, athletics to tennis, badminton and, even, academics, he was a champion performer in all walks of life.
So, when David Nosworthy met up with the boy’s parents at the SuperSport Park in Centurion 12 years ago, he had just one thing on his mind — to get the kid “on the cricket track”. Thankfully, he succeeded.
As the prodigy-turned-legend gears up for his 100th Test match in Bengaluru, Nosworthy is having a quiet laugh in faraway Pretoria. Back home after fruitful stints as coach of Canterbury in New Zealand and Somerset in England, the 47-year-old Nosworthy is happy that de Villiers and his parents paid heed to his advice in 2003.
“Look, he was very good at everything. My mission was to get him to play cricket and nothing else. And his parents, you know, they were good people. And they agreed to whatever I said,” Nosworthy recalls in an exclusive chat with The Hindu.
Nosworthy said it “wasn’t too hard” to convince the boy or his family. “I was with the Titans (a provincial team in South Africa) back then. So, I told them that the franchise would give him a contract. I was desperate to sign him because I knew some rugby teams were also keen on taking him on board,” he said.
So, what does he recall of the AB of then? “Well, I always knew he was going to be good. Really, none of this is surprising. He was never scared of working hard, never had any ego, any attitude. He would just play hard,” Nosworthy said.
There is one anecdote Nosworth never tires of narrating. “I was the coach of the South African under-19 team. We were in England to play three Youth Tests. The second match, played at Worcester, saw England post 523. We were bowled out for 262. Asked to follow on, we were 54 for three when AB (99) joined hands with J-P Duminy (116). They batted almost an entire day and saved the game. I still remember how I told AB to take it five overs at a time. Every time I sent the 12th man with a message, AB would say, ‘Yes, tell him I’ll do it’. And he did.” Nosworthy won’t be in Bengaluru to witness his ward’s historic achievement. “But I’ll be glued to the telly. That’s for sure,” he signed off.