AB de Villiers didn’t feature in the Test series against England. (Source: Express Archive)
Former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs has criticized AB de Villiers for picking and choosing when to play Test cricket. In a post on social media (Twitter), Gibbs replied to Du Plessis’ comments in an article and said, “no captain should put a player on a pedestal”. Gibbs also went on to compare de Villiers to legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis and said that “no player bigger than the game”.
He also wrote, “Kallis achieved more than AB ever will but he kept on playing and never disrespected the team and the game.remember that. Kallis achieved more than AB ever will, played longer than him to..he made his decision to retire on his own not keep anybody hanging.”
Interesting article this..captain putting a player on a pedestal! Never thought I’d see this..anyway pic.twitter.com/F6u17j0sVD
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) 11 August 2017
It may be recalled here that Du Plessis had earlier said that while de Villiers had not officially retired from Test, he was not expected anytime soon. “The last time I spoke to him, he wasn’t keen to play yet again,” Du Plessis said. “So from my point of view I’m not expecting him to come back. Whether we win or lose people always want AB to play, because he is the best player in the team.
He further added, “But we’ve played a year and a half without him. I hope that he comes back and plays, but I’m not expecting him to, and I’m preparing to look ahead without him. Fellow teammate Ashwell Price, concurred and said, “Soon it is a free for all. There must not be a tipping point where players become bigger than the nation.”
