AB de Villiers didn’t feature in the Test series against England. (Source: Express Archive)
Former South African all-rounder Lance Klusner while talking to Cricbuzz has said that AB de Villiers has still got a lot to offer to his team and no one can certainly write him off from Test cricket. The former left-handed batsman also talked about South Africa’s performance in the recently concluded four-match Test series against England and insisted that it was a “tough” phase through which every team goes.
“It’s a tough little period which all teams go through. There is enough talent in South Africa. They are going through a transition. Most teams that have been consistently successful have a core of players that play across all formats of the game. That is something South Africa will be trying to establish. You can’t just fill the spots that AB and Steyn will vacate in Test cricket,” Klusner said after South faced a 1-3 series defeat at the hands of England away from home.
Speaking about de Villiers, the all-rounder suggested that he is just going through a lean patch but has a lot of cricket left in him.
“I feel de Villiers still has a lot of cricket left in him. He’s right up there with the best in the world. All players go through lean patches no matter how good they are. You have to remember that he is not playing much Test cricket now. So, the volume of cricket he’s playing is not as much as it used to be. Sometimes, that can lead to you taking your eye off the ball in terms of preparation and that is the adjustment he needs to make,” said Klusner.
When asked about MS Dhoni’s [lace in the team, Klusner supported the right-hander and said that he is the best finisher and the Indian team first needs to look for a proper replacement.
“It’s always easy to call for somebody’s stepping down. You have got to look at who is going to fill that gap? Is that person going to be better than Dhoni straightaway? He is one of the best finishers to ever play the game. Why would you want to get rid of him? I think India would be foolish to do so. He still has got a lot to offer,” he said.
