New Delhi: South Africa Test captain and one of the deadliest batsmen in world cricket, Ab de Villiers has decided to step down from captaincy due to an elbow injury.
De Villiers, who was about to make a comeback against Sri Lanka in the upcoming three match series has not recovered fully from the elbow injury, which had forced the swashbuckling batsman to miss the Australia tour.
De Villiers has been ruled out of the three-match series against Sri Lanka.
“The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me,” said De Villiers, as reported in the official website of Cricket South Africa.
Faf du Plessis, who led the Proteas side to a successful 2-1 victory against Australia, has been appointed as the leader of the side permanently.
“It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the Test side but I have missed two series and I am still in doubt for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Following the squad’s outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as the permanent Test captain.”
Notably, De Villiers was appointed as the leader of the side after Hashim Amla had decided to step down from the helm after a series of disappointing performances.
De Villiers’s captaincy stint was cut short by the untimely injury after the England tour.
“AB has always carried himself as a true team player and his decision to step down confirms his attitude to put the team first,” said ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat.
“It is no surprise that the CSA Board has confirmed Faf du Plessis as the Test captain to take over from AB,” concluded Lorgat.