AB de Villiers,
South Africa's limited-overs captain, will undergo a fitness test on
Thursday morning to determine his availability for Titans' Champions
League semi-final on Friday against Sydney Sixers in Centurion. But
coach Matthew Maynard said it is doubtful de Villiers will play even if
given the all clear.
South Africa's national-team management requested that de Villiers take three weeks rest after a chronic back and ankle injury returned during the World T20s in Sri Lanka.
"AB's rehabilitation has gone well. We do have one eye on getting him on
the plane to Australia and ready for the tour," Mohammed Moosajee, the
South Africa team manager, told ESPNcricinfo.
South Africa start their Australia tour with a three-day match on
November 2 against Australia A at the SCG. The three-Test series will
kick off on November 9 in Brisbane. De Villiers is expected to keep in
all three Tests and there is still some concern over whether his back
will hold up. Reserve wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile is also in the squad
to fill in if de Villiers' injury recurs.
He has not played competitive cricket since South Africa's T20 match
against India on October 2 at the World T20 and was ruled out of the
Champions League. Titans chose to keep him in the squad despite the
diagnosis in the hope he would be able to play a part in the knockouts.
De Villiers has taken on a huge workload in recent months following the
enforced retirement of Mark Boucher at the start of the England tour. He
became the wicketkeeper-batsman across all three formats while he also
captains South Africa in ODIs and Twenty20s.
He has indicated previously that he enjoys the extra responsibility that
comes with wicketkeeping. "Batting for the team and taking the gloves
for the side, knowing the position I am playing in is better for the
side and we can win more games, that gives me a lot of pleasure," he had
earlier said. "If I miss out on a year at the end of my career so be it
but we should win games."
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