AB de Villiers has been subjected to tricky questions about his future ever since he announced a break from Test cricket. De Villiers is currently on a one-year temporary retirement after being forced to miss the Test series against New Zealand and Australia in 2016 due to his back injury.
Fans expected him to return to action once the recovery was fully done. But, to everyone’s surprise, he chose to quit the longest format for the time being in order to give more time to family and focus on limited overs cricket for South Africa, precisely talking – the 2019 Cricket World Cup goal.
However, while he continues to actively contribute to Proteas cricket, the uncertainty surrounding his Test future has caused concerns, as the cricketer is yet to give a firm statement regarding his possible return. There have also been questions surrounding the fact whether a player should be given the liberty to choose when he would like to play.
Speaking after the 3rd T20I against England at Cardiff, he revealed that his future availability for the Proteas with Cricket South Africa will be discussed in a couple of months.
“We will see what works for both parties (in terms of a date), and we are going to have a nice chat about my future,” de Villiers said on Sunday (June 25). “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 also hinted that the decision about South Africa’ next coach, who is expected to take up the role from September, could have a major bearing on his decision-making.
Russell Domingo, the current coach, has not yet confirmed if he wants to continue as the head coach after the end of his current tenure. His current contract is set to expire after the Test series in England.
De Villiers has been an evident supporter of Domingo’s extension and stated that he “definitely” wanted him to continue beyond August after the end of the Champions Trophy 2017.
“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. 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.”
The window for applications has closed, and a five-man panel is set to assess the candidates before making a recommendation to the CSA board.