JohannesburgSouth African captain AB de Villiers, known as 360 degree man acknowledged that there was a little bit of truth in the rumours concerning his retirement from Test cricket.
In December 2015, de Villiers commented that he was finding ways to manage his workload so that he can remain fresh for a longer period of time in order to enjoy the game.
Confirming that he has given a thought about his future, de Villiers revealed that there were times he was not enjoying the game and that raised an alarm for him.
“There have been a few rumours floating around, and in most rumours there is always a little bit of truth.
“Its not just in the last while; its for two or three years Ive 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.
“Every now and then in the past few years Ive found myself on the pitch not enjoying myself as much as I should be, and that raises concerns within myself.
“Ive been searching for answers and speaking to people and obviously thats leaked a bit.”
After the sudden retirement of Hashim Amla following the conclusion of the Cape Town game against England, de Villiers was handed over the captaincy of the Test team as well.
Refusing to comment whether he was interested in captaincy for the long term, de Villiers stated that his present focus was on the remaining two Test matches in the ongoing series against England.
“Im still very committed to the job. The two Test matches now is all that I am focusing on. Theres a nice big break of six months before we play Test cricket again.
“Lots of things can happen before then. But for now I am as committed as I can be and very hungry to make a success of these two Test matches.”
Urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to find a way for a right structure to enable the players to remain fresh, de Villiers affirmed that international cricket should always be the priority of the players.
“I think its a going concern for the ICC to find the right sort of structure to keep all the guys fresh. International cricket is the main cricket you want to play, especially Test cricket.
“There are big tournaments going on around the world and some of them you cant ignore because financially they make a huge difference in our lives.
“But international cricket comes first and one or two things will have to happen in the future in order for that to happen.”
The 31-year-old further added that he has a dream of winning World Cups for his country and he will make the right call after having a discussion with his close friends and family.
“I get good advice from people who have got my best interests at heart.
“We will just try and make the right call. My focus is on international cricket. I want to play for as long as possible.
“I have dreams of winning World Cups and (maintaining the) No.1 status in Test cricket for as long as possible.
“I want to get my experience across to the youngsters. There are so many dreams I would want to follow again I would just like to sit down, take some time away from the game, discuss these things and make the right call.”
With the Test series currently poised 1-0 in favour of England, South Africa must win the third Test in Johannesburg to stay alive with a chance to win the Basil DOliveira Trophy.
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