AB set to have ‘a nice chat’
CARDIFF: Once the matter of the national coach is resolved, AB de Villiers will have a showdown meeting with Cricket South Africa in August, where the rest of his international career will be decided upon.
“We will see what works for both parties (in terms of date), and we are going to have a nice chat about my future, which we haven’t decided on yet,” De Villiers said after yesterday’s 19-run defeat to England in the final T20 match. England won the series 2-1.
“We are not going to pick and choose games, but we are going to make a final decision about happens for the next few years,” he explained.
Crucially, De Villiers did make it clear that his meeting will happen after the national coach issue is resolved.
“There are quite a few things that are changing in South African cricket at the moment, quite a few things we need to wait for. I don’t even think it’s in my hands what is going to happen,” he pointed out.
“I will wait until the final decision on the coach and things like that are made, then I can also have a chat to CSA, to see where I am going to fit in,” he said.
He will leave with the T20 specialists tomorrow, and goes home for the next two months, which will be significant from a personal perspective.
“Over the next two months, I am going to spend a bit of time off at home with the family, I’m going to welcome my new youngster into the world, and obviously look to stay fit. I want to make sure I am ready for September, when Bangladesh come,” he said hopefully.
Ever since De Villiers announced a schedule that omitted the Test series in New Zealand and England, but included the Indian Premier League, the Champions Trophy and the limited-overs portion of the current series against England, speculation was rife about where his international future would go.
During the T20 series against England, he reasoned that his announcement at the beginning of the year had never been about picking and choosing his games, but rather about making sure that he was at the peak of his powers for the really big tournaments.
“It’s my main dream to win a World Cup for South Africa, or to be part of it in one way or another.”
That one way or another comment suggested that he may yet relinquish the captaincy, and focus purely on making runs and starring as a specialist in the middle-order.
England’s Dawid Malan was the Man of the match in the third T20, scoring 78 runs in his debut, including a six off the second ball.
See page 21 T20 scoreboard. for the