AB’s call on Tests not so shocking anymore
AB de Villiers’ softening commitment to Test cricket hit the game like a bombshell on Tuesday‚ but that bomb has been ticking for some time.
De Villiers‚ who turns 33 in February, ruled himself out of the three-Test series SA will play in New Zealand in March to focus on trying to keep enough in the tank to play in the 2019 World Cup.
But he stopped short of retiring from Test cricket.
Cricket SA CE Haroon Lorgat said De Villiers was not cherrypicking formats and opponents, but merely saving himself for an excruciatingly long 2017.
While De Villiers will play in a List A game for the Northerns amateur side on Sunday‚ it seems clear he will be available for the Sri Lanka ODI series, from January 28 at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth.
“AB is not picking and choosing‚” Lorgat said. “It is a plan that we had six months ago and it’s a case of when he starts and when he returns.
“Once he starts‚ there won’t be any stopping. When you play‚ you’ll be playing continuously.
“He’s not picking and choosing and there have been deliberate discussions in terms of when he starts.
“ODI cricket is the focus because he’s the captain.”
The first indication that De Villiers was considering his future came last Wednesday‚ from one of his oldest friends.
“I’m not sure how AB will feel in terms of Test cricket so we will have to see‚” Faf du Plessis said on the eve of the third Test between SA and Sri Lanka.
“We’re excited to have him back in the one-day team. I’m hoping he decides to play [Tests] for us.
“He is a world-class batsman and I‚ as a captain‚ would love to have him as a leader in our team‚ and as a batsman. He is a fantastic player.
“The plan was for him to play in this series and then the onedayers‚ but now we will see what AB’s plans are — whether he wants to play.”
On Saturday‚ after the Wanderers Test‚ Russell Domingo said: “We need to sit down with him and plan his future.
“AB has got to make that decision — I can’t decide on whether he plays or not.
“When I say that I mean AB has got to make the decision about whether he is available and the selectors have got to make the decision whether he plays. He has got to make some decision about his future in cricket,” Domingo said.
The uncertainty of the two was striking. Both could easily have said something bland that did not raise more questions than it answered.
Perhaps they were less guarded because SA have not struggled to win despite De Villiers’ absence since June because of an elbow injury.
Without De Villiers, SA have won six and lost only one of their eight Tests.
They have a perfect 6-0 record in one-day cricket.
Maybe De Villiers knew as far back as December 12 his days in whites were numbered — that is when he resigned the Test captaincy.
In fact‚ as far back as January 2016 he declined to take opportunities to deny reports that he was considering his future.
Tuesday’s news‚ while it grabbed its fair share of headlines‚ did not shock South Africans as much as it would have done had it broken before the start of the national team’s resurrection from a 2015-16 campaign in which they lost five of the eight Tests they played.
What a difference a few wins make.