“In the last two or three years I’ve been searching for the right answers to play a little bit less cricket”
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South Africa batsman AB de Villiers has made it clear that he cannot keep playing Tests, ODIs and an assortment of Twenty20 competitions in the long run.
De Villiers was made Test captain after Hashim Amla resigned from the position after the second Test against England in Cape Town. However, de Villiers has refused to commit himself to the captaincy beyond the last two Tests against England, which will be held in Johannesburg and Centurion.
“There have been a few rumours floating around and in most rumours there is always a little bit of truth,” de Villiers said. “It is not just in the last while, in the last two or three years I’ve been searching for the right answers to play a little bit less cricket in one way or another, to keep myself fresh and to keep enjoying the game.
“I’ve found myself on the pitch in the past few years, every now and then, not enjoying myself as much as I should be and that raises concerns within myself.
“I’ve been searching for answers and speaking to a few people and that has leaked a little bit. I’m still very committed. To the job? I’m not sure.
“The two Test matches for now is all I’m focusing on, and there is a nice six-month break before we play Test match cricket again. Lots of things can happen before then and I don’t want to commit myself too much to everything before then.”
Meanwhile, de Villiers also called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to reorganise the cricket calendar as he feels that there are too many series and tournaments, both international and domestic, being crammed into a single year.
“There have been plenty of surveys in the last few years and I have seen some changes in the past, but there are still one or two that need to get attention from the ICC,” he said. “One of those is the schedules for the more senior guys to make sure they keep their focus in the right places.
“I don’t know what the answers are. I can’t make that statement. All I know is there are quite a few guys feeling we are playing a bit too much cricket and just need to get the focus right.
“My focus is on international cricket. I want to play for as long as possible. I would just like to sit down, take some time away from the game, discuss these things and make the right call.”