Graeme Smith wants AB de Villiers to step away from captaincy

Former South African captain and opener, Graeme Smith, in his recent column for The Independent, expressed that he would want AB de Villiers to step down from captaincy, for him to concentrate on taking part in the upcoming ICC World Cup in 2019 by conserving his energy.

AB de Villiers has been under the firing line for his recent captaincy records. England hosted the South Africans in a five-match ODI series which the Proteas lost by a margin of 3-2. The side hardly had any time to recover from the loss and they immediately took part in the recently concluded ICC Champions Trophy.

After a comfortable win against Sri Lanka, South Africans lost against India and Pakistan, thereby, weren’t able to qualify for the semi-finals of the multi-lateral tournament. It was then AB revealed his desires to lead the side to the next World Cup and claimed that he would win it for the side. However, South Africans lost yet another series shortly after as the home side England defeated the side by a margin of 2-1 in the T20I series.

AB de Villiers has nothing to prove, says Smith

“AB has already made huge sacrifices for South African cricket, over such a long period of time, and with the next ICC World Cup just two years away, it’s likely that he is targeting that tournament as a swansong to his already illustrious career at the top level. What has AB De Villiers got to prove to anyone? He’s a star, and those players are often expected to be available all of the time no matter what the consequences might be personally.” quoting Graeme Smith’s piece from The Independent.

“AB is due to assess his future with CSA later this summer, and my advice to him would be to step away from the captaincy, and concentrate his energy in to maintaining his levels in white ball cricket for the next two years. Put simply, if that is what’s best for him and the longevity of his career, then that is what’s best for South African cricket.” wrote the 36-year-old. It would be interesting to see if Mr 360 would heed to his advice.