--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's important to make sure your players…" description: "\"It's important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket.\" — AB de Villiers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg" --- # It's important to make sure your players have the mindset… ![“It's important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket.” quote by AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg) > “It's important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket.” [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Players should view international cricket as the pinnacle of the sport. **In simple terms:** Treat top‑level cricket as the ultimate goal. Key Takeaway Maintain elite mindset and standards. Themes sportsmanship excellence mindset Mood competitive focused Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - training programs - team building - goal setting Key Concepts performance psychology sports culture Questions to Reflect On - How can you inspire all skill levels? - What defines “ultimate” in your sport? A Different Perspective Focusing only on elite level may demotivate lower‑tier players. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cricket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cricket/) [Mindset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindset/) ## Related quotes > [I think Test cricket is the ultimate form of cricket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suresh-raina/i-think-test-cricket-is-the-ultimate-form-of-cricket/) [Suresh Raina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suresh-raina/) > [We all grow up dreaming of playing international cricket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/we-all-grow-up-dreaming-of-playing-international-cricket/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [What features in a midfielder am I after? Players who have the mindset to win every game - then we can start to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-benitez/what-features-in-a-midfielder-am-i-after-players-who-have-the-mindset/) [Rafael Benitez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-benitez/) > [You're always under pressure, that's what life is about. That is what playing international cricket or being a professional sportsman is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-cook/you-re-always-under-pressure-that-s-what-life-is-about-that-is-what/) [Alastair Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-cook/) > [When I first started playing international cricket, people around me started telling me what was being said. And you're never as good as anybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-morgan/when-i-first-started-playing-international-cricket-people-around-me/) [Eoin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-morgan/) > [Test cricket is the ultimate challenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/test-cricket-is-the-ultimate-challenge/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [If I changed the mindset of some players or my mindset helped some players to be better - maybe. But I don't think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/if-i-changed-the-mindset-of-some-players-or-my-mindset-helped-some/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [There is a real danger that kids won't engage with cricket when there are so many other opportunities to use their time in other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-strauss/there-is-a-real-danger-that-kids-won-t-engage-with-cricket-when-there/) [Andrew Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-strauss/) > [Aggressive cricket is a form of cricket where you play to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/aggressive-cricket-is-a-form-of-cricket-where-you-play-to-win/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > [It's all about doing the little things right. It doesn't matter what form of cricket you are playing. Just keep things simple, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhuvneshwar-kumar/it-s-all-about-doing-the-little-things-right-it-doesn-t-matter-what/) [Bhuvneshwar Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhuvneshwar-kumar/) > [For me Test cricket is the ultimate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-morgan/for-me-test-cricket-is-the-ultimate/) [Eoin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-morgan/) > [Test cricket is the ultimate challenge for any player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuzvendra-chahal/test-cricket-is-the-ultimate-challenge-for-any-player/) [Yuzvendra Chahal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuzvendra-chahal/) > [In my heart, international cricket is the way forward. That's where you want to play; that's where the pressure really lies. That's where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/in-my-heart-international-cricket-is-the-way-forward-that-s-where-you/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I can't keep playing 10-11 months a year and keep being sharp after 15 years of international cricket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-can-t-keep-playing-10-11-months-a-year-and-keep-being-sharp-after/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I truly believe that players who tell you they don't feel the pressure of international cricket, of being away from home for months at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-truly-believe-that-players-who-tell-you-they-don-t-feel-the/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) ## More by AB de Villiers > [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I love keeping. I'm in the game all the time. I see angles that I wouldn't normally see, and I feel part of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-love-keeping-i-m-in-the-game-all-the-time-i-see-angles-that-i/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [My personal goals have always and will always take a backseat to the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/my-personal-goals-have-always-and-will-always-take-a-backseat-to-the/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I know what makes me good, and it's not a bat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-know-what-makes-me-good-and-it-s-not-a-bat/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [There are big tournaments going on around the world, and some of them you cannot ignore because, financially, they make a huge difference in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/there-are-big-tournaments-going-on-around-the-world-and-some-of-them/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I've made peace with the fact that the World Cup will not define me. Yes, it would be nice to add that to what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-ve-made-peace-with-the-fact-that-the-world-cup-will-not-define-me/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I had a long run as a captain. I had some fantastic ups and also quite a few lows in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-had-a-long-run-as-a-captain-i-had-some-fantastic-ups-and-also-quite/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [The World Cup is a tough tournament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/the-world-cup-is-a-tough-tournament/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I know nothing will compare to that feeling of scoring hundreds in a big game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-know-nothing-will-compare-to-that-feeling-of-scoring-hundreds-in-a/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I accept that it is not always moonshine and roses, and you can't expect things must always go your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-accept-that-it-is-not-always-moonshine-and-roses-and-you-can-t/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I truly believe that players who tell you they don't feel the pressure of international cricket, of being away from home for months at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-truly-believe-that-players-who-tell-you-they-don-t-feel-the/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [I've always been a people pleaser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-ve-always-been-a-people-pleaser/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [You represent your country - that's the biggest honour ever. I had the privilege of doing that for more than 14 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/you-represent-your-country-that-s-the-biggest-honour-ever-i-had-the/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Even the thunderous master-blasters, like Andre Russell and MS Dhoni, men who now make scoring more than 20 runs per over look simple, often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/even-the-thunderous-master-blasters-like-andre-russell-and-ms-dhoni/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Winning an official World Cup with the South African team had become my burning ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/winning-an-official-world-cup-with-the-south-african-team-had-become/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) [Explore all 102 AB de Villiers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) ## More Cricket quotes > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [In summer, my Sundays are often taken up with cricket. I play with a bunch of other over-competitive and overenthusiastic guys who I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elliot/in-summer-my-sundays-are-often-taken-up-with-cricket-i-play-with-a/) [Ben Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elliot/) > [The way you get wickets is, you've got to build pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-arthur/the-way-you-get-wickets-is-you-ve-got-to-build-pressure/) [Mickey Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-arthur/) > [Runs are important, don't get me wrong, but it will be wickets that I will be judged on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moeen-ali/runs-are-important-don-t-get-me-wrong-but-it-will-be-wickets-that-i/) [Moeen Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moeen-ali/) > [Cricket, politics, and cinema is what a majority in our country are most passionate about. They have the power to divide the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-deverakonda/cricket-politics-and-cinema-is-what-a-majority-in-our-country-are/) [Vijay Deverakonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-deverakonda/) > [I used to stay near Hazra Law College and play a lot of street cricket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanshu-chatterjee/i-used-to-stay-near-hazra-law-college-and-play-a-lot-of-street-cricket/) [Priyanshu Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanshu-chatterjee/) > [Being at the top of the ICC rankings is a matter of great pride for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasprit-bumrah/being-at-the-top-of-the-icc-rankings-is-a-matter-of-great-pride-for-me/) [Jasprit Bumrah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasprit-bumrah/) > [If you want to to be a smart cricketer, you have to play according to the situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hardik-pandya/if-you-want-to-to-be-a-smart-cricketer-you-have-to-play-according-to/) [Hardik Pandya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hardik-pandya/) > [There is no reason why one should believe you should leave out politicians in cricket or any sport for that matter. There are ways…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roosevelt-skerrit/there-is-no-reason-why-one-should-believe-you-should-leave-out/) Roosevelt Skerrit > [The Twenty20 is itself a banal game, a crude game, but it works, so I hope Twenty20 commentary works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-agnew/the-twenty20-is-itself-a-banal-game-a-crude-game-but-it-works-so-i/) [Jonathan Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-agnew/) > [I began playing at the age of six, but at that point, I had little idea of cricket; forget the talent part. It's around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prithvi-shaw/i-began-playing-at-the-age-of-six-but-at-that-point-i-had-little-idea/) [Prithvi Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prithvi-shaw/) > [We West Indian cricketers are always proud to play for the West Indies and we know we are made up of different islands and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-lara/we-west-indian-cricketers-are-always-proud-to-play-for-the-west/) [Brian Lara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-lara/) > [We are a country obsessed by records. For us, hundreds, ten thousand runs, and large haul of wickets are more important than the performance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/we-are-a-country-obsessed-by-records-for-us-hundreds-ten-thousand/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > [You always can improve and I think that's the beauty of international cricket, particularly test cricket, is playing all around the world against different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-williamson/you-always-can-improve-and-i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-international/) [Kane Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-williamson/) > [“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. Even on the most beautiful days in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-crickets-felt-it-was-their-duty-to-warn-everybody-that-summertime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,044 Cricket quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cricket/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the ultimate form of cricket.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "AB de Villiers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players-have-the-mindset-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cricket" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players-have-the-mindset-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f2/ab-de-villiers-5293_cricket_it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players_888390.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's important to make sure your players have the mindset that playing international cricket is still the…” — AB de Villiers", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "AB de Villiers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's important to make sure your...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players-have-the-mindset-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/it-s-important-to-make-sure-your-players-have-the-mindset-that/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```