AGENCIES
JOHANNESBURG
AB de Villiers faces crunch talks with South Africa officials as the superstar batsman ponders ditching Test cricket to extend his career in limited-overs formats. De Villiers has been struggling with a long-term elbow injury that has seen him out of action since mid-2016. He stood down from the Test captaincy after a Faf du Plessis-led side completed a memorable 2-1 series victory against Australia in December.
The 32-year-old has recovered from his elbow issue sufficiently to make his return in South Africa's domestic 50-over competition, and is scheduled to play his first match next Sunday. He continues to be South Africa's one-day international captain, and could be back in Proteas colours for the third T20 match against Sri Lanka, ahead of an ODI series. However, his involvement in the longest format is the subject of increasing speculation.
"I'm not sure how AB will feel in terms of Test cricket so we will have to see," du Plessis said after wrapping up victory against Sri Lanka. "We are excited to have him back in the one-day team. I am hoping he decides to play (Tests) for us.
"He is obviously a world class batter and I, as a captain, would love to have him as a leader in our team, and obviously as a batter. He is a fantastic player... He hasn't played for a while. The plan was for him to play in this series and then the one-dayers start, but now we will see what AB's plans are – whether he wants to play," du Plessis said.
Proteas coach Russell Domingo said team officials would discuss his playing future with de Villiers in looming talks. "We need to sit down with him and plan his future," Domingo said. "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 obviously got to make some decision about his future in cricket."
Complicating matters for de Villiers is Cricket South Africa's commitment to transformation – commonly known as the quota system – with conjecture about how a man who has scored 21 Test centuries and averages more than 50 would fit back into a team that has won six of their past eight Tests while he has been out injured. Temba Bavuma is the man most under pressure to retain his position after a poor run of form that’s seen him average just seven from his past seven Test innings. But Bavuma, a black African, has been publicly backed to retain his position by South Africa's selectors.
If de Villiers did pull the pin on a Test career that has netted him 8,074 runs in 106 matches in more than 12 years, it would put Australian Big Bash League clubs on high alert. De Villiers was heavily courted by the Sydney Thunder after their BBL|05 win following the retirements of Michael Hussey and Jaques Kallis, a close friend of de Villiers. The Melbourne Stars would also be understood to be interested in the South African's services.
