AB de Villiers targets Day-Night Test for international return

South African skipper AB de Villiers has targeted the Day-Night test at Adelaide to make his comeback into the squad and to international cricket altogether. While the occasion will be a massive one in itself with the Proteas playing they’re first ever day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval, de Villiers will hope that he will be fit for that one at the very least.

The 32-year old South African skipper was not available for the ongoing South Africa v Australia series after failing a fitness Test. South Africa are on the brink of a whitewash in the ODI series under makeshift skipper Faf du Plessis with the Australians also having an injury crisis.

Speaking about his comeback, de Villiers said, “I’m holding onto that (hope) a little bit,” de Villiers told FiveAA.  “According to the surgeons and the doctors, there’s no chance. They did give me six weeks before rehab starts. I always feel the rehab phase can be sped up a bit.”

“So maybe after the six weeks, if I do fly over straight away, I’ll be there for the second Test match,” de Villiers added. There may be an opportunity to prepare for that game – not play in it – and then be ready for the Adelaide Test, which would be a dream come true to play in a day-night Test against Australia. A man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do and unfortunately I’ve got to sort this out,” de Villiers said.

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He also went on to add that the injury came at a terrible time. “It came at a really bad time; there’s one Test series you really don’t want to miss out on and it’s playing Australia in Australia. I think in the last couple of seasons I did push it a bit too much,” the Proteas star said.

Finally, AB de Villiers went on to speak about his future plans. “I was very driven to win the 2015 World Cup and an injury was never going to keep me off the park. I was always going to just work through it. I think after that World Cup there was a big dip in my physical fitness and also mentally, I was a bit drained. I only realised that after the World Cup that I’d been pushing too hard.”

“That’s the biggest dream for me, that 2019 World Cup. I will have to manage myself to get there. I’ve always been a fit guy, I could maybe go even further than 2019. But to me, 2019 is the main one. I would love to be around for that World Cup … if I get selected, of course.”

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