Great anticipation as AB returns in whites
Almost two years out, the question is who’s going to be sacrificed
● “I’m really happy that’s not my job; it’s going to be a nightmare,” Kruger van Wyk said this week. “Good luck to you, Mr Gibson.”
Van Wyk wasn’t doubting Ottis Gibson’s ability to guide South Africa to victory over Zimbabwe in the Boxing Day test match at St George’s Park.
That’s likely to be more easily achieved than what Van Wyk was on about: fitting AB de Villiers into South Africa’s team.
Outrageous, isn’t it, that we should wrestle with finding a place for this generation’s finest smiter of a cricket ball? The simpler, better, faster question must be who will make way for De Villiers.
If only the answer was as obvious.
Temba Bavuma has been steady rather than spectacular for most of his 26 tests, playing important innings that fly under the radar because most of them aren’t 50s or hundreds. But, if a batsman has to go to accommodate De Villiers, Bavuma is the prime candidate.
Andile Phehlukwayo made a decent start to his test career against Bangladesh in September and October, and merits a crack against Zimbabwe.
But, if a bowler is to be sacrificed to make room, he’s the one.
That Bavuma and Phehlukwayo are black Africans won’t be lost on anyone keeping an eye on this complex story.
Van Wyk, the former Titans and New Zealand wicketkeeper who is now Tuks’ head of cricket, is a significant part of the puzzle. He and De Villiers are Affies alumni and former Titans teammates, and it was on Van Wyk’s door that De Villiers knocked, “around May, maybe a little bit later, and said he just wanted to work on his game”.
A player of no mean ability himself, Van Wyk was honest with his new charge.
“I said, ‘You’re most welcome to come but it’s going to be pretty hard for me to teach you anything’,” he said.
“AB came, and there was no reinventing the wheel. He worked extremely hard.
“Every day he turned up with something specific he wanted to work on and spent a lot of time on it, and the intensity was really good. And that was day in and day out.
“The environment was peaceful and quiet, and he could get down to what he wanted to do.”
De Villiers lives large, and not in the Chris Gayle sense. Even so, peace and quiet are riches even he cannot buy.
“AB’s hungry again, hungry to perform; he’s fresh,” Van Wyk said.
But the madness is never far.
On Friday, the top item of De Villiers news on the internet was his video message to Virat Kohli on the happy occasion of his wedding to Anushka Sharma.
“I know you guys are going to have a very happy life together and hopefully many kids to come,” he said in the 35-second clip.
Why didn’t he send his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate a private message? Because he is a global star with something marketable to say to another global star, who has married a Bollywood star. Welcome to the weird world of modern cricket.
In this era of the super-individual, almost two years — or how long De Villiers has been out of whites — is an age even in something as slow-burning and self-protected against change as test cricket.
South Africa have won 10 of their 17 tests while he has been away, reeling off series victories against New Zealand, home and away, Australia away, and, at home this season, Bangladesh. It’s the missing entry on that list of opponents that’s sharpening the focus on De Villiers’ anticipated return.
South Africa returned from England in August with a series loss and doubts about their batting. This season, they face home series against India and their ambitious seam attack on pitches that are likely to be livelier than usual, and Australia, who handed England a masterclass in the first two Ashes tests.
Had South Africa won in England, this conversation would have been different. Now it’s all about De Villiers.
He seemed to be the last thing on Faf du Plessis’ mind after the England series: “If AB comes back it’s a huge bonus but I don’t expect him to come back into the test team.”
And here we are, waiting for it to happen. But how?