Thursday 14 January 2016 07:19, UK
AB de Villiers has told South Africa he will not commit to the Test captaincy beyond the end of the current series with England.
De Villiers agreed to step up for the remaining two matches in the wake of Hashim Amla's surprise resignation, but the one-day skipper is unsure about keeping the Test job in the long-term.
And the long format's third-ranked batsman - rumoured to be on the brink of Test retirement before Christmas - has admitted his schedule of five-day games, ODIs and assorted Twenty20 competitions is unsustainable.
"There have been a few rumours floating around and in most rumours there is always a little bit of truth," De Villiers said on the eve of the third Test at the Wanderers.
"It is not just in the last while, in the last two or three years I've been searching for the right answers to play a little bit less cricket in one way or another, to keep myself fresh and to keep enjoying the game.
"I've found myself on the pitch in the past few years, every now and then, not enjoying myself as much as I should be and that raises concerns within myself.
"I've been searching for answers and speaking to a few people and that has leaked a little bit. I'm still very committed. To the job? I'm not sure.
"The two Test matches for now is all I'm focusing on, and there is a nice six-month break before we play Test match cricket again. Lots of things can happen before then and I don't want to commit myself too much to everything before then."
And De Villiers, who was relieved of the South African wicketkeeping duties after the first Test in a bid to lighten his workload, has warned the International Cricket Council the cricket calendar needs reorganising.
"There have been plenty of surveys in the last few years and I have seen some changes in the past, but there are still one or two that need to get attention from the ICC," he said.
"One of those is the schedules for the more senior guys to make sure they keep their focus in the right places.
"I don't know what the answers are. I can't make that statement. All I know is there are quite a few guys feeling we are playing a bit too much cricket and just need to get the focus right.
"My focus is on international cricket. I want to play for as long as possible. I would just like to sit down, take some time away from the game, discuss these things and make the right call."
