Summary Ireland skipper William Porterfield has said that containing de Villiers would be challenging.
CANBERRA (AP) - South Africa players have said they re in awe of skipper A.B. de Villiers current form, with high expectations of another record-breaking innings when he faces Ireland in a World Cup Pool B match on Tuesday.
All-rounder Farhann Behardien on Monday said he had goose bumps when he batted with de Villiers at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday during South Africa s 257-run win over the West Indies.
De Villiers scored the second-fastest century ever in a World Cup and finished unbeaten on 162 off 66 balls, with 17 boundaries and eight sixes. He dismantled the West Indies bowling attack and pushed South Africa to 408-5 the second-highest total ever at the World Cup.
"In my opinion, he is a level above most batters," Behardien told a news conference at Manuka Oval in the Australian capital.
Behardien said his teammates were lost for words in the dressing room as they watched de Villiers in full flight.
"It s overwhelming, it s bewilderment," Behardien said. "We re all in awe when we see him bat like that."
South Africa and Ireland will play at the same ground where West Indies opener Chris Gayle last week bludgeoned a World Cup-record 215 with 16 sixes, and shared a 372-run partnership with Marlon Samuels in a 73-run win over Zimbabwe.
Behardien said Manuka Oval had the potential to again become a nightmare for bowlers, particularly with de Villiers batting.
"It does potentially, but we ve still got to stick to our processes. We don t underestimate Ireland at any cost," he said. "We have got processes in plan and if the game unfolds the way it should do, and we bat deep and we have wickets in hand toward the back end, I think that s the way we set it up."
All that said, Behardien avoided placing too much expectation on de Villers next performance.
"He would, and every player in our side would, take a duck as long as our team wins," he said. "Whatever happens tomorrow, I m sure he ll just be happy with a team win."
South Africa heads into the game after wins over Zimbabwe and West Indies on either side of a lopsided loss to defending champion India. Ireland has won its first two games, opening with a surprising four-wicket win over West Indies in New Zealand and then finishing over the top of fellow Associate team United Arab Emirates in a last-over, two-wicket victory in Brisbane last week.
Ireland skipper William Porterfield said containing de Villiers would be challenging, but his team had strategies to cope.
"It s no fluke, what he s done. He s done it a couple of times now over the last six to eight weeks," Porterfield said. "He s been in great nick, but I think you ve just got to have your own simple plans and look after your own game.
"They re obviously playing great cricket, they re a great side, so we re going to have to be on the money again."
Porterfield said his squad knew it wasn t taking on a one-man team, so had to be at its peak against South Africa.
If de Villiers "plays the way he plays, then so be it. But we ll have our own individual plans for each of them and hopefully we ll see the back of him early."
