It got a lot closer than I hoped: AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers thanked David Wiese for taking the pressure off him.

Lahore Qalandars captain AB de Villiers said that the chase against Multan Sultans had got too close for comfort but was glad that they could pull it off.
Chasing 200, it went down the wire, to the last over and the last ball with three required from the final delivery but compatriot David Wiese fired a six off Dan Christian to win it for the Qalandars.
"It got a bit closer than I hoped for at the end," de Villiers, who was adjudged the Man of the Match, said after the game.
AB, who was appointed skipper after Hafeez was ruled out of the tournament with a fractured thumb, said that playing big shots earlier had crossed his mind but felt pacing it was perhaps the right thing to do. "I felt that we should've had a go earlier but it worked out well in the end.
"I was fortunate in being able to take my time at the beginning of my innings and play myself in. David Wiese took a lot of the pressure off me, being a boundary hitter," he added.
He said that they were almost down and out but urged his men to try and make a match of it.
"We were on the ropes earlier but I told the lads to keep fighting, keep fighting, as it would come down to one or two runs," explained de Villiers.
And in a message to youngsters he said: "I get very nervous. To the youngsters out there, my message is that it's ok to feel nervous in a situation like this, just take it one over at a time."
Meanwhile, opposite number Shoaib Malik said they were dejected but added that the Friday crowd were treated to a fantastic game. "It doesn't feel good at the moment but at the end of the day it is just cricket."
You learn from this. It was a great match between two good teams. I think at one stage we were expecting a total of 220 plus when Vince and Siddiq were batting. So, we need to work on that," said Malik.
james@khaleejtimes.com