AB De Villiers credits South Africa captaincy for his scintillating form with the bat

South Africa skipper AB De Villiers said that captaining the country has been the driving force behind his match-winning performances for the squad in 2014.

De Villiers is currently world number one in ICC's ODI batsman rankings, and averages 76.85 in 2014.

His century against Sri Lanka in Hambantota helped South Africa clinch the series, whereas a half century against Australia in the final of the triangular series in Zimbabwe also proved to be crucial. Apart from the mentioned knocks, De Villiers scored another half century against New Zealand on Tuesday, which highlights the skipper's insatiable desire to lead from the front when it counts, Sport24 reports.

De Villiers said that finishing games gets him going and added that there is nothing more rewarding than playing till the end of the innings. He also placed emphasis on looking back at stats and milestones after the end of his career.

South Africa put in a clinical performance in their first match following a month-long break, and continue to tick the right boxes ahead of a crucial season.

De Villiers said that he is very happy with this performance, adding that it's a great start to what lies ahead in form of a tough Australian tour.

The skipper said that he has mixed feelings about the first half of the game, admitting that his side got themselves into a strong position to finish New Zealand off. De Villiers said that it was a great bowling performance against New Zealand and laments the fact that they could not finish off the job earlier.

The second ODI would be held on 24 October 2014 at the Bay Oval in Tauranga, the report added.