AB de Villiers set to make comeback in the white jersey

South Africa’s batting mainstay AB de Villiers is set to make the return to the longer format of the game when he turns up for Titans in their first-class domestic tournament. The right-handed batsman has not played any first-class cricket for more than 18 months now. AB last played a FC match in January last year, when South Africa played against England in the last Test of the 4-match series.

Sabbatical

The South African batsman went through an elbow injury which kept him out of the game for a long time. He decided to take a break from the Test cricket to prolong his career in the limited overs cricket. The right-handed batsman recognized the fact that he needed time away from the game if he wanted to play the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

De Villiers went on to miss the Test series vs New Zealand and England before deciding to make a return to the long format of the game. He announced in August that he would make the return to the longer format of the game. But he would have to prove himself in domestic cricket again to earn his place back.

A media release from the South Africa’s selection convenor confirmed that de Villiers will turn for the Titans in the Sunfoil series. The right-handed batsman has been selected for the South Africa Invitation XI which is due to take on Bangladesh on October 11 in a 50-over game.

“We are expecting AB to play in the next round of Sunfoil Series matches but he too will benefit from some game time in the shorter format,” Zondi told Cricbuzz referring to de Villiers’s selection in the 50-over side to play Bangladesh.

After the Test series against Bangladesh, South Africa is due to take on Zimbabwe in a four-day Test match. The status of the Test match is yet to be ratified by the ICC.