AB De Villiers Named South Africa's Test Captain, Full Time
AB de Villiers will lead South Africa against New Zealand in August. He had led the team in the just-concluded series against England after Hashim Amla stepped down.
South Africa have named the prolific AB de Villiers as captain of the Test team on a permanent basis. De Villiers, who is South Africa's ODI captain, had captained the team in the recently-concluded series against England after Hashim Amla stepped down. (Hashim Amla Quits As Cricket South Africa Test Captain, AB de Villiers Steps In)
De Villiers has accepted the offer to lead the Proteas on a permanent basis. His first assignment in charge will be against New Zealand in August in South Africa.
"AB is a class cricketer and a special person and the Board is delighted that he has taken on the responsibility to lead the Proteas Test team during this crucial phase of guiding new players and rebuilding the team to once again be the best in the world," said Cricket South Africa Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat.
"AB's commitment to the Proteas and international cricket is a lesson for many other cricketers and the Board was unanimous in appointing AB to take charge of the team.
"Having known AB since he started his international career, I am confident that he will lead by example and display the brilliance and passion that he is so blessed with," added Lorgat.
"I would also like to thank Hashim Amla for the manner in which he led the Proteas during a very tough transitional period."
De Villiers Delighted at Added Responsibility
De Villiers expressed his delight at being appointed the Proteas Test captain.
"This is an exciting time for South African cricket, and I am honoured to have been asked to captain the Test team into a new era. I thoroughly enjoyed captaining in the last two Tests against England, and although I still have a lot to learn in this role, it's a new challenge that I'm excited to take on," De Villiers said.
"I have been privileged to play in several outstanding Proteas teams over the past 11 seasons, and I believe we are witnessing the emergence of another great team. There is plenty of hard work ahead of us; we are rebuilding and have a long way to go to being a finished product as a squad."
"We may have to fight through some tough times, but the recent performances of Kagiso Rabada, Temba Bavuma, Dane Piedt, Dean Elgar and others have created an opportunity to build a team that delights and unites our country as never before.
"I could not be more excited about the future. I am fully committed to the Proteas, but more than anything, I am grateful for the support from my team mates, Cricket South Africa and the people of our rainbow nation," he explained.