I keep things simple while batting: AB de Villiers

South African AB de Villiers during the post match press conference

Wellington, March 12 (IANS) Gung-ho after winning the Man of the Match award against the UAE in the World Cup, South Africa skipper AB de Villiers on Thursday said he tries to keep things simple out there in the middle. It was de Villiers's swashbuckling knock of 99 and two wickets in the Pool B game that propelled South Africa to 341 for six in Thursday's match. He hit six fours and four sixes en route to his brilliant 99.

Chasing the mammoth total, the United Arab Emirates folded up for 195 runs.

"I won't say it's easy, but I try to keep it simple. I try to stick to my game plan. It was important for me to stick to my plan today and I thought most of our batters too stuck to their game plans really well," de Villiers said at the post-match presentation ceremony when asked how simple it was to change his game every innings.

The skipper, who also clinched the record for hitting the most number of sixes at the world event, said this match was a platform where he gave opportunities to his part-timers so that they could deliver the goods in the knockout stage too.

"It was an opportunity tonight to give some of the part-time bowlers a run. I got through all of us and it looks pretty good and might come in handy in one of the knockout games.” he added.

"It's not a given fact that we are going to play seven batters once again, but if we do, it's nice to have the guys with some decent form with the ball and if the guys that are not seen as full-time bowlers - myself, JP (Duminy), Farhaan (Behardien) and guys like that and maybe even Faf (du Plessis) - can chip in, it's good for the team," he said.