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AB de Villiers steps down as captain of the Proteas Test team

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AB DE VILLIERS, has decided to step down as captain of the Standard Bank Proteas Test team with immediate effect.

De Villiers was appointed in January following Hashim Amla’s resignation, and led the team in two Test matches against England before injury forced him to miss the series against New Zealand and Australia at the beginning of the 2016/2017 season.

Commenting on his decision, De Villiers said: “The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me. It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the Test side but I have missed two series and I am still in doubt for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Following the squad’s outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as the permanent Test captain.

“I have known Faf for almost 20 years, ever since we played in the same school side at Afrikaans Hoer Seunskool, and he will have my unequivocal support if he is asked to continue leading this exciting Proteas Test team.”

De Villiers has been ruled out of the three-match Sunfoil Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to recover sufficiently from an elbow injury.

Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained: “AB’s left elbow is much improved but is still regaining the last few degrees of straightening. Fitness to play requires full range of elbow movement and this may take another 3-4 weeks to achieve.

“He will be unavailable for the Test series against Sri Lanka and will target a return for the ODI series starting at the end of January.”

Cricket South Africa Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, also expressed his admiration for the decision taken by de Villiers.

“AB has always carried himself as a true team player and his decision to step down confirms his attitude to put the team first,” said Lorgat.

“it is no surprise that the CSA Board has confirmed Faf du Plessis as the Test captain to take over from AB,” concluded Lorgat.

The Proteas test squad for the Sri Lanka series will be announced later this week.

http://cricket.co.za/news/16302/De-Villiers-steps-down-as-Test-captain
 
Hope he enjoys batting in the games he is looking forward to the most - the lovely IPL 2017.

This guy has unfortunately lost a lot of credibility after choosing club over country over the last couple of years.
 
Faf has done better as a captain than both Amla and AB so it is logical to continue with him.

Good that SA cricketers are mature enough to understand that and step down voluntarily. In Pakistan, they would have thrown tantrums.
 
Just some prep work before the IPL. I am sure he is going to retire in the not too distant future to focus on IPL.
 
It could be seen from the moon.

He has been desperate to retire from Tests for a long time now but CSA managed to pressurize him by sacking Amla and making him captain. However, the success of du Plessis as captain has allowed him the opportunity to chicken out and it is only a matter of time before he announces his retirement as well.

Will surely be gone by the end of 2017.

He has had a very pampered Test career. For years, he was cushioned by Kallis, Smith and Steyn and Amla himself. Now, after the retirement of the former two, when SA needed him more than ever, he has wilted under the pressure of the added responsibility and can't wait to get out.

The funny thing is that his fans will hail his decision as selfless, whereas it has been obvious for a long time now that he is not interested in prolonging his Test career.

One of the most heartless cricketers of the modern era. Had all the talent in the world to become one of the true greats of the game, but his mentality has always been his weak point.

If he had the heart of Smith, Kirsten or Kallis, he would have achieved so much more.
 
Mamoon said:
It could be seen from the moon.

He has been desperate to retire from Tests for a long time now but CSA managed to pressurize him by sacking Amla and making him captain. However, the success of du Plessis as captain has allowed him the opportunity to chicken out and it is only a matter of time before he announces his retirement as well.

Will surely be gone by the end of 2017.

He has had a very pampered Test career. For years, he was cushioned by Kallis, Smith and Steyn and Amla himself. Now, after the retirement of the former two, when SA needed him more than ever, he has wilted under the pressure of the added responsibility and can't wait to get out.

The funny thing is that his fans will hail his decision as selfless, whereas it has been obvious for a long time now that he is not interested in prolonging his Test career.

One of the most heartless cricketers of the modern era. Had all the talent in the world to become one of the true greats of the game, but his mentality has always been his weak point.

If he had the heart of Smith, Kirsten or Kallis, he would have achieved so much more.
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He has not announced retirement from test cricket so your post is speculation at best.
 
The_Odd_One said:
He has not announced retirement from test cricket so your post is speculation at best.
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Everything, including his own statements in the past, are pointing in only one direction.

I hope it remains as 'speculation' only and he changes his mind because SA certainly needs him in Tests and not just in Limited Overs and the IPL.
 
Mamoon said:
It could be seen from the moon.

He has been desperate to retire from Tests for a long time now but CSA managed to pressurize him by sacking Amla and making him captain.
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Amla stepped down. He was never sacked.
 
It seems he is just looking for any excuse to avoid Test cricket

And btw. From the English, Saffer and Aussie crowd he is one of the rare active international players who really LOVESS IPL rather than see it as a time pass money spinner
 
Only if azhar could do a such a selfless act for greater good of pak team, but in a country like ours it's not a privilge but a birth right for our captain to continue captaining untill you are shamed and sacked, and it doesn't matter how much you suck as a captain.
 
This is exactly what i mean about this guy, completely unreliable spineless cricketer.
Kept the wickets to accommodate his friend to the starting XI. When he was settled he didn't want to keep no more. In doing so, destroying Thami's career.
Was offered the captaincy for all the formats. He wasn't sure, then Test captaincy was offered to Amla, he moaned. Ironically he was happy once again to relinquish T20 captaincy for his best friend "to manage his workload".
He's done the same thing once again.
Faf will need to be dropped for his poor form sooner or a later (ignoring his last ton). AB is well aware of this and is practically setting the selectors up for future dilemma. What a way to ensure your buddy gets a free ride. I've got zero respect for this guy.

Here is my message to you Mr de Villiers, the South African cricket team is not your dress rehearsal. Get that straight.
 
soso_killer said:
This is exactly what i mean about this guy, completely unreliable spineless cricketer.
Kept the wickets to accommodate his friend to the starting XI. When he was settled he didn't want to keep no more. In doing so, destroying Thami's career.
Was offered the captaincy for all the formats. He wasn't sure, then Test captaincy was offered to Amla, he moaned. Ironically he was happy once again to relinquish T20 captaincy for his best friend "to manage his workload".
He's done the same thing once again.
Faf will need to be dropped for his poor form sooner or a later (ignoring his last ton). AB is well aware of this and is practically setting the selectors up for future dilemma. What a way to ensure your buddy gets a free ride. I've got zero respect for this guy.

Here is my message to you Mr de Villiers, the South African cricket team is not your dress rehearsal. Get that straight.
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The problem is, no one (in any official capacity) is going to question him. He will get what he wants and move on to the IPL.
 
Varun said:
Hope he enjoys batting in the games he is looking forward to the most - the lovely IPL 2017.

This guy has unfortunately lost a lot of credibility after choosing club over country over the last couple of years.
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Right, 106 tests, 206 ODIs, 17000+ international runs , 45 international 100s, 50+ average in Tests and ODIs - all that is useless and he needs to learn about patriotism/pride from you! Even if he was to retire now, will go down as a SA great
 
Faf needs to have a permanent spot to be a permanent captain.
 
soso_killer said:
This is exactly what i mean about this guy, completely unreliable spineless cricketer.
Kept the wickets to accommodate his friend to the starting XI. When he was settled he didn't want to keep no more. In doing so, destroying Thami's career.
Was offered the captaincy for all the formats. He wasn't sure, then Test captaincy was offered to Amla, he moaned. Ironically he was happy once again to relinquish T20 captaincy for his best friend "to manage his workload".
He's done the same thing once again.
Faf will need to be dropped for his poor form sooner or a later (ignoring his last ton). AB is well aware of this and is practically setting the selectors up for future dilemma. What a way to ensure your buddy gets a free ride. I've got zero respect for this guy.

Here is my message to you Mr de Villiers, the South African cricket team is not your dress rehearsal. Get that straight.
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lol you hate on AB De villiers a lot

actually you hate lot of top cricketers randomly for random reasons :)) [MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION]
 
[MENTION=132982]soso_killer[/MENTION] - its also funny how you totally disregard his success and contributions in Test cricket when a few weeks ago id pointed to a dozen top performances away including wins in india and Aus where he was the main performer.

Also this thami tsolikile stuff is pure conspiracy theory

AB is one of your best all round batsmen ever!
 
Slog said:
It seems he is just looking for any excuse to avoid Test cricket

And btw. From the English, Saffer and Aussie crowd he is one of the rare active international players who really LOVESS IPL rather than see it as a time pass money spinner
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Warner gave it everything he had in IPL, as did Smith, Steyn, Morkel, Butler, Starc (when fit). But then IPL is a curse blah blah
 
Cant we call it for what it is. The guy wants to max out his earning playing in as many t20 leagues as possible.

...not that there's anything wrong with that.
 
Slog said:
[MENTION=132982]soso_killer[/MENTION] - its also funny how you totally disregard his success and contributions in Test cricket when a few weeks ago id pointed to a dozen top performances away including wins in india and Aus where he was the main performer.

Also this thami tsolikile stuff is pure conspiracy theory

AB is one of your best all round batsmen ever!
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what top performances?
The only innings of note in India i seem to remember was when he was pampered by the presence of Kallis by his side.
Please state the matches AB has won for SA coz i missed the post you're referring to.
As far as I know AB has never won a match for SA. The only game he came close to winning was at the Wanderes against India chasing 400 odd. Guess what? He bottled it missing a straight ball from Ishant whom he was dominating all game long. But when victory became a possibility and was in sight, AB did what he does best, bottled it and left others to finish the job. Missing a straight ball playing a casual defensive stroke.
Remember AB dominating Ajmal in an ODI match in SA too? He was the only player who was scoring freely in that match as well. Once again he played a daft shot when victory was in sight.
Great players aren't about numbers or simply scoring when it's tough, they are match winners and seizethe opportunity . AB isn't that guy, he lacks the intelligence of match awareness and temperament to see things through. The mosquito in my wall has a greater IQ than AB de Villiers, probably courage too.
 
AB has nothing else to prove to anyone seriously. He is almost 33 and has already played over 100 tests. First of all, he is not retiring from tests. Second even if he retires, so what? It is not like he has played 40-50 tests only and is a young batsman who has a decade of cricket left. He has 4-5 years left in him and I do not see anything wrong if he wants to concentrate on ODIs and T20 leagues. If his heart is not into test cricket then he should not force himself to play that format.
 
soso_killer said:
what top performances?
The only innings of note in India i seem to remember was when he was pampered by the presence of Kallis by his side.
Please state the matches AB has won for SA coz i missed the post you're referring to.
As far as I know AB has never won a match for SA. The only game he came close to winning was at the Wanderes against India chasing 400 odd. Guess what? He bottled it missing a straight ball from Ishant whom he was dominating all game long. But when victory became a possibility and was in sight, AB did what he does best, bottled it and left others to finish the job. Missing a straight ball playing a casual defensive stroke.
Remember AB dominating Ajmal in an ODI match in SA too? He was the only player who was scoring freely in that match as well. Once again he played a daft shot when victory was in sight.
Great players aren't about numbers or simply scoring when it's tough, they are match winners and seizethe opportunity . AB isn't that guy, he lacks the intelligence of match awareness and temperament to see things through. The mosquito in my wall has a greater IQ than AB de Villiers, probably courage too.
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When do batsmen win test matches? Not sure why these kind of criterion are only needed for him and not for other batsmen.
 
Pete Rose said:
Cant we call it for what it is. The guy wants to max out his earning playing in as many t20 leagues as possible.

...not that there's anything wrong with that.
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but isn't he set up for life already?
Besides with the retirement of Kallis and Smith and with Steyn's injury crisis one would have thought AB would have managed and handled his workload better than he has.
To compromise his fitness when his country needed him desperately will forever count against him.
AB will still be good enough to make millions in domestic leagues across the world in two or three years time. He's made it abundantly clear where he's priorities lie, and that's April/May in India.
 
The_Odd_One said:
When do batsmen win test matches? Not sure why these kind of criterion are only needed for him and not for other batsmen.
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Scoring runs when it matters, that's when.
Kallis, Smith and Amla have all done it numerously.
AB has been spoonfed all his life
 
soso_killer said:
Scoring runs when it matters, that's when.
Kallis, Smith and Amla have all done it numerously.
AB has been spoonfed all his life
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Leed's test 2008. Came in to bat at 143/4. Smith, Kallis, and Amla were all dismissed. Took his team to 511/8 when he got out. SA won that test. AB was the highest scorer in that match.
 
soso_killer said:
but isn't he set up for life already?
Besides with the retirement of Kallis and Smith and with Steyn's injury crisis one would have thought AB would have managed and handled his workload better than he has.
To compromise his fitness when his country needed him desperately will forever count against him.
AB will still be good enough to make millions in domestic leagues across the world in two or three years time. He's made it abundantly clear where he's priorities lie, and that's April/May in India.
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I think he has demonstrated amply his priorities over the last few years. The CSA have to sanctify him because they dont want a rift with all the players playing so many t20 leagues. The dynamic here is the same as Gayle vs. WICB. except that there is no acrimony. Reason being, that the national team is doing fine without him.
 
AB de Villiers is a prime example of how a talented person can waste his career most of the time.

Even though he averages 50 plus in tests and ODI's, he could have gone down as one of the real ATG greats of the game in the class of Lara , Ponting and Tendulkar had he just got his priorities right.

But he is way too soft in my opinion.

A tragedy, for you really grow fond of him to an extent.
 
Dr_Bassim said:
AB de Villiers is a prime example of how a talented person can waste his career most of the time.

Even though he averages 50 plus in tests and ODI's, he could have gone down as one of the real ATG greats of the game in the class of Lara , Ponting and Tendulkar had he just got his priorities right.

But he is way too soft in my opinion.

A tragedy, for you really grow fond of him to an extent.
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You can always count on south africa to produce class players in terms of stats, yet one struggles to recall one stand out performance.
Anyhow, as I do feel he is softy, its better that the team develops without him.
 
Another one not happy with the quota system
I'm not sure if this decision has devalued test cricket or devalued de villiers
 
AB must average 70+ in tests and take his team to every world cup final and score a century every time to prove that he is an ATG.

The double standards on this forum for certain players are mind-boggling.
 
AB de Villiers replaced by Faf du Plessis as South Africa Test captain

AB de Villiers has stepped down as captain of South Africa's Test team, with Faf du Plessis taking over.

Du Plessis led the side to a series victory in Australia last month, as De Villiers sat out with an elbow injury.

De Villiers, 32, was expected to return for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, but has not recovered in time.

"His decision to step down confirms his attitude to put the team first," said Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat.

"AB has always carried himself as a true team player."

He remains the one-day international captain, and is targeting a return ahead of the ODI leg of Sri Lanka's tour of South Africa in January.

"The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me," he said.

"It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the Test side but I have missed two series and I am still in doubt for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

"Following the squad's outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as the permanent Test captain."
 
He has played already 106 test , same number of test Gilichrist played, is still not retired,he is little bit soft and has not achieved what he could have, but by no means he has played less or is turning back on South Africa, mind you Steyn still has to play 90 test and is always rested from odi ,Amla is also behind him in toal number of matches , compare this to ABD and he also played many odi and some test as keepers.
 
ABD is youngest among steyn , Amla and Smith and guess what he has played most international.
My only criticism is that he did not achieved what he could have.
 
Navdeep Srivastava said:
He has played already 106 test , same number of test Gilichrist played, is still not retired,he is little bit soft and has not achieved what he could have, but by no means he has played less or is turning back on South Africa, mind you Steyn still has to play 90 test and is always rested from odi ,Amla is also behind him in toal number of matches , compare this to ABD and he also played many odi and some test as keepers.
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hes also played an INSANE amount of t20 games

216!
 
If he keeps, it is done to put his childhood friend place in the team.

If he wishes for the captaincy, he is selfish and not thinking about his team.

If he doesn't want to keep, he is spouting non sense of workloads.

If he backs from captaincy, he is spinless and gutless cricketer.

Some people make stories beyond the limits and as per their likings.
 
The evidence is mounting.

Just not a great of the game.
 
Now if Azhar could step down as ODI captain then everything will be alright.
 
honeybadger said:
Amla stepped down. He was never sacked.
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Many consider his 'stepping down' to be influenced by CSA who wanted to give de Villiers Test captaincy to pressurize him from not retiring. Yes, plenty of ifs and buts, but I personally believe this conspiracy theory (if it can be called as one) has some legs.
 
soso_killer said:
This is exactly what i mean about this guy, completely unreliable spineless cricketer.
Kept the wickets to accommodate his friend to the starting XI. When he was settled he didn't want to keep no more. In doing so, destroying Thami's career.
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I am not a fan of de Villiers the test cricketer, I actually tend to agree with [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]'s assessment of his attitude. However, you just destroyed all your credibility with that comment on Tsolekile.
 
The_Odd_One said:
AB must average 70+ in tests and take his team to every world cup final and score a century every time to prove that he is an ATG.

The double standards on this forum for certain players are mind-boggling.
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It's stupid really. Most of his critics haven't followed his career at all.

Anyway, it doesn't matter what these nobodies think of him, the cricketing world acknowledges him as a true great.
 
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ABD is the best all-around batsman of all time. Can adapt to any situation. The only thing he needs to accomplish to be considered an ATG is to captain SA to Champions Trophy victory. He needs to break the notion that SA are bad in tournaments. This is the same guy that led SA to the WC Semi-Final last year.
 
I don't know why people are against his decision.. Clearly he's leading the team better, AB sees that and steps down to give the better person a chance. Respect to him imo.
 
Right decision to step down, Faf is clearly the superior leader. Seems as though ab will give up test cricket for the t20 leagues.

I don't have a problem with him giving up the captaincy, my problem is with him seemingly giving up test cricket for ipl/t20 leagues. South Africa still need him as a test player IMO, he can prove himself as an ATG in tests with consistent and more impactful knocks. But seems as though he's given up on test cricket.

In Odis he's probably done enough to be considered an ATG but in tests not for me he's an ATG, so he's not up there with Lara, Punter, Sachin, viv ,etc as a cricketing great. But Indian fan boys on social media and some pundits will put him up there.
 
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AB has done nothing wrong. He's an insane ODI player and is most certainly better than any batsman since Viv in this format. South Africa need him there more than they need him in tests.

It didn't matter whether or not he stayed around for a year longer or not, he wasn't going to end up as an ATG in the test format. He's never been South Africa's best batsman in whites, forget about being the best in the world for an extended period of time.

I applaud him for giving up the captaincy this easily. Not many players would have handled this the way he has. He's a great player and a great person and I hope we get to see him smashing bowlers of all sorts around very soon.
 
WC-Passion said:
Poor attitude and it looks like he just wants to play IPL these days.
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I don't understand comments likes these. The guy is injured. That is the only reason he hasn't been playing any cricket, not just test cricket.

Also funny to see some bitter English, Pakistani and Indian fans picking on AB and questioning a bonafide great player's commitment. He's a giant compared to any current player from these countries, all formats combined.
 
I don't understand SA culture but looking as an outsider, SA cricket is better off without him.. In fact absence of senior players seem to have no effect on them. Amla was useless the whole series, Steyn was gone yet somebody always stepped up.
 
Bilal7 said:
I don't understand comments likes these. The guy is injured. That is the only reason he hasn't been playing any cricket, not just test cricket.

Also funny to see some bitter English, Pakistani and Indian fans picking on AB and questioning a bonafide great player's commitment. He's a giant compared to any current player from these countries, all formats combined.
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Giants don't run away from hard work. :afridi
 
Lol. AB is spineless? Does anyone remember the only batsman who stood up to a peak Johnson on a quick pitch at a time when English batsmen played him like kittens ? Have you forgotten how he batted on Indian minefields while Hashim Amla couldn't put bat on ball? If anything until two years ago he was probably the toughest guy in the side apart from Steyn. It's clear that he is extremely unhappy with the transformation targets set by CSA since the 2015 World Cup. I can't see any other reason. Why bother playing for your country when they are hell bent on including half the side based in quotas? Might as well focus on tamasha leagues and make a ton of money.

And AB was part of a conspiracy to keep thami tsolekile out? :))) oh please you don't need to play politics to keep mediocre cricketers out of your national side :)
 
He should retire from T20's and play only test and important ODI's. Why is he breaking down? Is it because he plays all formats and IPL or due to immense stress on body courtesy playing those 360 deg shots!
 
James said:
Giants don't run away from hard work. :afridi
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What a silly comment. His elbow is busted and he's going to miss three test series in a row when his team is going through a transition period. He's hardly running away and is actually putting the team above himself. Nothing suggests that he's not going to come back and play test matches again.

Running away would be what Swanny did three years ago.
 
Bilal7 said:
What a silly comment. His elbow is busted and he's going to miss three test series in a row when his team is going through a transition period. He's hardly running away and is actually putting the team above himself. Nothing suggests that he's not going to come back and play test matches again.

Running away would be what Swanny did three years ago.
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Spot on. AB's a giant compared to most chicken hearted English cricketers.
 
Bilal7 said:
What a silly comment. His elbow is busted and he's going to miss three test series in a row when his team is going through a transition period. He's hardly running away and is actually putting the team above himself. Nothing suggests that he's not going to come back and play test matches again.

Running away would be what Swanny did three years ago.
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He's signposting a total exit from Test cricket. It's obvious
 
James said:
He's signposting a total exit from Test cricket. It's obvious
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Speculation. If he does end up playing the IPL instead of test cricket, it will certainly count against him but asof now, he's only another great team player like his buddy, Amla.
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
He should retire from T20's and play only test and important ODI's. Why is he breaking down? Is it because he plays all formats and IPL or due to immense stress on body courtesy playing those 360 deg shots!
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He will have to take a huge pay cut. Why would anyone limit their ability to earn.
 
This make money argument doesn't wash with me. If you play just two or three IPL season's you'll have made a small fortune, and if you're smart you'll invest that money. Return on investments far outstrip earnings from cricket, otherwise Dhoni would be wealthier than Warren Buffett. Buy government bonds or shares or property or start a business with your start up money funded by a couple of IPL seasons and you're set, you could play IPL for 40 years and you still wouldn't make enough money compared to investing.

So, they go to IPL because they're short sighted and presumably not wise financially.
 
Here you read about Australian cricketers making business deals all the time. Michael Clarke sold a house for about $6m or something not that long ago. How many IPLs would he have had to play to make that much? Ten?

Because they have their financial priorities straight, Australian cricketers need not be besotted to the IPL. Even Sri Lankan cricketers are on it, Jayawardene and Sangakkara co-own a major restaurant. There's no excuse for South African and West Indian cricketers, they need to grow up and not splurge all their income on luxuries and vanities.
 
Pantani said:
Here you read about Australian cricketers making business deals all the time. Michael Clarke sold a house for about $6m or something not that long ago. How many IPLs would he have had to play to make that much? Ten?

Because they have their financial priorities straight, Australian cricketers need not be besotted to the IPL. Even Sri Lankan cricketers are on it, Jayawardene and Sangakkara co-own a major restaurant. There's no excuse for South African and West Indian cricketers, they need to grow up and not splurge all their income on luxuries and vanities.
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Looking at you, Gayle.
 
Bilal7 said:
I don't understand comments likes these. The guy is injured. That is the only reason he hasn't been playing any cricket, not just test cricket.

Also funny to see some bitter English, Pakistani and Indian fans picking on AB and questioning a bonafide great player's commitment. He's a giant compared to any current player from these countries, all formats combined.
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Sure he's injured but the problem is that he's a very frustrating player. If he actually cared enough he could have been one of the best in tests, but he doesn't seem to have the passion and heart to play to his full potential.

Nothing to do with being bitter, just quite disappointing.
 
WC-Passion said:
Sure he's injured but the problem is that he's a very frustrating player. If he actually cared enough he could have been one of the best in tests, but he doesn't seem to have the passion and heart to play to his full potential.

Nothing to do with being bitter, just quite disappointing.
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No, he couldn't have. He's a much superior ODI player than he is a test player and he's fulfilled or even surpassed what was expected of him. South Africa's best test batsmen have always been Kallis, Amla, Smith and then de Villiers. I don't see what the frustration is all about, he's a great batsman in test cricket but he was never going to end up an ATG.
 
Pantani said:
Here you read about Australian cricketers making business deals all the time. Michael Clarke sold a house for about $6m or something not that long ago. How many IPLs would he have had to play to make that much? Ten?

Because they have their financial priorities straight, Australian cricketers need not be besotted to the IPL. Even Sri Lankan cricketers are on it, Jayawardene and Sangakkara co-own a major restaurant. There's no excuse for South African and West Indian cricketers, they need to grow up and not splurge all their income on luxuries and vanities.
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Australian/ English players make enough by playing tests.. Other boards simply can't compete

That's the reality of life
 
AB has already played over 100 tests. Even if he retires from test cricket, it is no big deal.
 
People taking dig at ABD don't know that he has represented South Africa at 374 international ( 106 test) when he is 33 years old, Amla has represented 274( 97 test) at 34 , Steyn 243(84 test) at 34 , Smith 347 ( Smith is 36 and played 117 test ).
Youngest of all and played most and many odi, T-20, even some test as a wicketkeeper.
Mind you his workload was never managed like Steyn and Amla who are rested for odi and T-20 so that they can regain fitness.
 
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The legend on his way out!
He has delivered to South Africa with his peak potential. No one should begrudge his decision to pass on the torch. Infact he has seen South Africa transition well with young guns being bred in.
 
Navdeep Srivastava said:
Another stupid comment , he has represented WI over 400 matches including 100 test and 270odi, he don't have to do anything , he started preferring IPl when he was past his best.
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Talk about stupid. I was referring to the poster saying how cricketers from the West Indies are splurging money on extreme luxuries and vanities.
 
Chrish said:
I don't understand SA culture but looking as an outsider, SA cricket is better off without him.. In fact absence of senior players seem to have no effect on them. Amla was useless the whole series, Steyn was gone yet somebody always stepped up.
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Yeah which is what made their series in Australia all the more impressive.

Nobody was willing to give them a chance before it. Most people discounted them from even competing merely because ABD wasn't in the picture.

And then as soon as Steyn was taken off mid game, everyone thought again it was now definitely over for SAF, but they showed great character again.

Probably the quickest a team has recovered in recent times after going into a "transition" period with all their star players retiring or fading away if you look back since 2013 when they were #1.
 
One thing that worked for SA was QDK in god mode.. now you can't expect him to replicate that performance every series. Kinda like you can't expect Kohli to have that kinda series time and time again in Australia

So that worked well to temporarily hide the flow in their batting line up which will eventually get exposed if they don't pick right players
 
soso_killer said:
This is exactly what i mean about this guy, completely unreliable spineless cricketer.
Kept the wickets to accommodate his friend to the starting XI. When he was settled he didn't want to keep no more. In doing so, destroying Thami's career.
Was offered the captaincy for all the formats. He wasn't sure, then Test captaincy was offered to Amla, he moaned. Ironically he was happy once again to relinquish T20 captaincy for his best friend "to manage his workload".
He's done the same thing once again.
Faf will need to be dropped for his poor form sooner or a later (ignoring his last ton). AB is well aware of this and is practically setting the selectors up for future dilemma. What a way to ensure your buddy gets a free ride. I've got zero respect for this guy.

Here is my message to you Mr de Villiers, the South African cricket team is not your dress rehearsal. Get that straight.
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Please, he was one of four players banned for fixing games in the Ram Slam Twenty20. I won't be shedding any tears.

Wow, you have a lot of hate for AB.
 
Mamoon said:
It could be seen from the moon.

He has been desperate to retire from Tests for a long time now but CSA managed to pressurize him by sacking Amla and making him captain. However, the success of du Plessis as captain has allowed him the opportunity to chicken out and it is only a matter of time before he announces his retirement as well.

Will surely be gone by the end of 2017.

He has had a very pampered Test career. For years, he was cushioned by Kallis, Smith and Steyn and Amla himself. Now, after the retirement of the former two, when SA needed him more than ever, he has wilted under the pressure of the added responsibility and can't wait to get out.

The funny thing is that his fans will hail his decision as selfless, whereas it has been obvious for a long time now that he is not interested in prolonging his Test career.

One of the most heartless cricketers of the modern era. Had all the talent in the world to become one of the true greats of the game, but his mentality has always been his weak point.

If he had the heart of Smith, Kirsten or Kallis, he would have achieved so much more.
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So he can't retire when he wants because you think it's chickening out?
 
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