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Injury rules AB out of tour to Australia

Proteas superstar succumbs to elbow problem and will undergo surgery next week

South Africa Test and ODI captain AB de Villiers will miss the upcoming five-match one-day series and the subsequent three-Test tour against Australia after failing to recover from the injury to his left elbow.

The 32-year-old, who has been sidelined for the past two months because of the impingement syndrome problem that causes him excruciating pain in his elbow, attempted to prove his fitness at the Proteas training session in Johannesburg today.

Mix Tape: AB de Villiers' finest work


However, despite undergoing a prolonged period of rest and rehabilitation and having the injured joint heavily strapped when he batted earlier today, the pain was still significant and he will undergo surgery next week.

Which, as South Africa team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee explained at a media conference last week, means the world’s top-ranked ODI batsman will be unavailable for up to eight weeks as he recuperates.

“Unfortunately AB de Villiers has failed to come through his fitness test this morning,” Dr Moosajee told reporters at St Stithians College in Johannesburg where the Proteas were preparing for their opening ODI against Australia at Centurion on Friday.

“Although the physio did strap his elbow while he was batting and he did feel some relief with some of his shots, the elbow pain hasn’t resolved completely.

“With that in mind we are scheduling surgery for him for early next week and we’re hopeful that we’ll get him back in action before the Sri Lanka series (in South Africa in December).”

De Villiers’ loss is a huge blow, not only for the Proteas hopes of toppling Australia in the upcoming five-match ODI campaign and then in the Tests at Perth, Hobart and Adelaide.

But it is also a setback for those hoping to see one of the world’s most exciting batters in action for what was expected to be his final Test tour to Australia.

It is expected that South Africa’s T20 captain Faf du Plessis, who filled in for de Villiers in last Sunday’s ODI win over Ireland and in the Tests against New Zealand that preceded it, will be elevated to the top job for the Australia series.

De Villiers was installed as Test captain earlier this year after Hashim Amla stood down from the role during the Proteas home series against England.

Batsman Rilee Rossouw has been added to the South Africa ODI squad in place of de Villiers for the upcoming matches against Australia at Centurion, Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.

The national selectors will meet next week to discuss the touring party for the Test campaign in Australia, but it is not yet known when that squad will be announced.