Wednesday, June 8, 2011

AB de Villiers may not keep wickets

South Africa's newly-appointed limited-overs skipper A B de Villiers may be relieved of wicket-keeping duties given the additional burden of the captaincy along with batting.

Prolific batsman de Villiers, who kept wickets at the start of his Test career and sometimes fills in for veteran Mark Boucher in one-dayers, is unlikely to add keeping wickets to his list of responsibilities following his elevation as Proteas skipper for the shorter formats of the game.

South Africa's newly-appointed coach Gary Kirsten said that the wicket-keeping issue will be discussed soon.

"We've spoken about it. I don't think a final decision has been made. We'll together work out the best way forward with his added responsibilities now and what's going to be the best way forward for the team," Kirsten was quoted as saying by 'The Times'.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Morne van Wyk acted as a back-up for de Villiers behind the stumps at the ICC World Cup. But the Free State Knights player failed to impress with the gloves.

Titans keeper Heino Kuhn, who is also more than useful with the bat, is a possible successor to de Villiers. Kuhn, 27, is also a regular feature in the South African A side.

Other possible keepers include Thami Tsolekile from the Lions and IPL side Mumbai Indians' Davy Jacobs.

Kirsten said de Villiers, who succeeded Graeme Smith as Proteas limited-overs captain on Monday, was the obvious choice for the job.

"I think that it's important to look at an individual whose name is the first or second on the team sheet," the former India coach said.

"I think that does play a role. But, certainly in the limited conversations I've had within South African cricket, the general feeling is that AB was the right man to take the team forward in the shorter formats of the game," the former Proteas opening batsman said.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore coach Ray Jennings has heaped praise on South Africa's new limited overs captain AB de Villiers for his commitment on the field, saying he has been a "pillar of strength" in the IPL side's runners-up finishing campaign in the Twenty20 league.

Jennings, also former South Africa national team coach, said that de Villiers deserved to captain South Africa as he has a "sharp cricket brain" and "leads by example".

"AB has a sharp cricket brain. He assesses situations quickly and acts accordingly. I certainly don't believe that South African cricket made a mistake to appoint him as captain," said Jennings, whose RCB lost to the Chennai Super Kings in the final of the IPL.

"It really was a privilege to have AB in my team. He may not have had the best IPL with the bat, but the role he played in the team was of immense value.

"He is someone who leads by example. He always pitches for training first and does not hesitate to offer young players advice during the net sessions. He was also a pillar of strength for our captain Daniel Vettori, who relied on him a lot on the field," he was quoted as saying by 'Sport24' .

Jennings felt de Villiers' wicketkeeping will not suffer despite he has now added responsibility as a captain and batsman.

"I was also happy with his wicketkeeping and certainly don't believe that it will suffer now that he has taken over the captaincy of South Africa."


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