AB de Villiers unhappy at being overlooked for Test captaincy; promises full cooperation for new captain Hashim Amla
Despite being disappointed at losing out on the Test captaincy, South African wicket-keeper batsman AB de Villiers has promised full cooperation to the new national Test team captain Hashim Amla.
"I will not beat around the bush. I'm disappointed that I'm not the captain," De Villiers told the Afrikaans newspaper Beeld. "Everyone has dreams and ambitions and hopes they will become reality but I accept the situation and will not let it come between me and Hashim. It would be very stupid of me if I let it affect my game and my role in the team. The choice is made. I wish Hashim all the best and will give him all of my support."
Amla won the confidence of the national selectors beating the likes of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis.
On the 31-year-old’s appointment, the convener of selectors Andrew Hudson said: "Processes were followed. We've spoken to the guys who were close and that little group of senior players are all supportive of Hashim," Hudson said. "We said to the guys 'This is what's coming' and the guys said they were behind it 100%. There's this group of senior players - Dale (Steyn), Morne (Morkel), Faf (du Plessis), AB, JP (Duminy) - that are behind Hashim and they respect him. He hasn't just got two or three guys that support him, he has got a core.”
With this appointment, the Proteas team will now have three different captains for the three formats of the game: De Villiers (ODIs), Du Plessis (T20Is0 and Amla (Tests). One reason for Cricket South Africa to overlook De Villiers could be that, with him being the wicket-keeper in 2 of the 3 formats, the move can take a toll on his batting, his primary role in the team.
"As vice-captain of the team I will closely work with Hashim and believe we can make a good combination," De Villiers said.
"I accept that it is not always moonshine and roses and you can't expect things must always go your way. In the end, we are all working together in the best interests of South African cricket. I believe Hashim will make a success of the assignment. He is a very experienced and senior player and is a fine student of the game. We will all pull in the right direction do to make sure our cricket comes out on top again," said the 30-year old.