No idea what to do from here, says De Villiers

Auckland, March 24 (IANS) A dejected South Africa captain AB de Villiers on Tuesday said he has no clue what he and his team will do here on after they were knocked out of the cricket World Cup by New Zealand in the first semi-final at the Eden Park here.

Chasing a revised target of 298 from 43 overs, determined by the Duckworth-Lewis system in the rain-affected match, New Zealand got over the line primarily due to the efforts of middle-order batsman Grant Elliot (84 not out), who bludgeoned pacer Dale Steyn into the stands for a six to seal a four-wicket victory.

“I have absolutely no idea what to do from here on. I don't even know when we're going home. It's going to take some time. As a captain, I'll be there for the guys as much as I can and there is nothing you can do about it now,” said de Villiers at the post-match press conference.

Asked if it would be a consolation to think he had participated in one of the most memorable matches, the right-handed batsman said, "Doesn't make me feel better at all, not at all, no. We play this game to win, to bring glory home and make a difference in the nations, and we didn't do that. We didn't achieve that, and it hurts quite a bit. Gutted. We had our chances and we didn't take them.”

The South African, who played a handy knock of 65 not out, said it was tough dealing with the loss and he was hurt as he could not clinch the world title for the fans back home.

“It's a tough one. I felt that we left it out on the field tonight and that's all I can ask of the guys. We had our chances, especially in the second half and we didn't take it," he said.

"It's difficult to say what kind of emotions I'm feeling. It's obviously painful. Lots of people back home supporting us. It hurts to think of all of them, you know, and we so badly wanted to take that trophy back home but I guess life moves on.”