De Villiers thanks 'supporting' fans for making Proteas feel like bunch of winners despite WC exit

South Africa cricket team captain AB de Villiers has thanked fans for their support despite his squad's failure to bring the coveted World Cup trophy home, saying that their fans have made them feel like a bunch of winners.

The South Africans bowed out of the tournament at the semifinal stage, losing a tense match by four wickets to World Cup co-hosts New Zealand.

After the team arrived in Johannesburg on Friday, De Villiers said that they have no regrets as they left everything on that field, Sport24 reported.

The skipper was quoted by Cricket South Africa's official Facebook page as saying that every member of the squad tried their absolute best, adding that here and there their skills let them down, a couple of dropped catches and missed run outs, but insisted that they recovered well.

De Villiers stated that the World Cup is something one works for their whole life, adding that it was really tough in the change room afterwards.

De Villiers also said that he was expecting a lot of negative stuff from fans and the media but added that the messages they have received has made them feel like a bunch of winners.