AB wants to keep captaincy

Johannesburg - Being beaten inside three days was hardly the best way for AB de Villiers to start his reign as Proteas Test captain, however long or short that reign may prove to be.

The Proteas were hammered by 7 wickets to give England an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with only the Centurion Test remaining. 

But De Villiers, speaking after his side’s loss on Saturday, said that the captaincy at the Wanderers was a positive experience.

He was again made to commit his future to Test cricket by the English press, which he did, but the message coming from the 31-year-old suggested that he would like to keep the captaincy beyond the England series.

De Villiers was appointed as a stand-in captain for the last two matches of the series following Hashim Amla’s resignation after the Durban Test.

“I’d love to be captain … I’m hopefully still captain in the next game, we’ll see,” De Villiers joked after a result that ensures South Africa will lose their No 1 ranking in Test cricket to India.

“I enjoyed the captaincy in the Test match. I thought there were some times when we showed some light and I really enjoyed it out there.

“I thought I had the troops going more often than not.”

De Villiers said also re-emphasised his commitment to the development of the younger players in the national set-up.

“It’s a big responsibility and a great opportunity for me to have that influence on younger players,” De Villiers said.

“I would love to walk away from the game one day knowing that I’ve had an influence on some of the younger guys stepping up and becoming senior players in the team.”

The fourth and final Test gets underway on Friday.