SA hope AB's new role brings T20 success

South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis will look to superstar batsman AB de Villiers to provide fireworks at the top of the Proteas’ batting line-up as his team readies themselves for a tilt at a maiden ICC World T20 title next year.

De Villiers will make his return to Proteas colours in the first Twenty20 against New Zealand on Saturday morning (AEST) having missed the ODI and Test portions of South Africa’s tour of Bangladesh due to the birth of his first child.

Du Plessis confirmed de Villiers would open the innings alongside Hashim Amla – as he did in the two T20s against Bangladesh last month – and he will also take over wicketkeeping duties after gloveman Quinton de Kock was dropped from South Africa’s limited-overs squads following a lean tour with the bat against the Tigers.

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Prior to the Bangladesh series, de Villiers had opened the innings only once in his 59 previous T20 internationals.

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De Villiers bats in last month's T20 against Bangladesh // Getty Images

Du Plessis said he believed the explosive batsman would perfectly complement Amla’s calmer, more measured approach.

"It’s important that we stick to what we want to achieve with our combinations,” du Plessis said.

"Putting AB at the top is a conscious change we made leading up to the (T20) World Cup (next year).

"You want to give your most explosive and best player a crack at getting in early and scoring runs, that is something we will stick with even though the conditions here will probably suggest otherwise.

"In Durban, with a bit more grass, your cricket brain tells you you should keep AB back because the ball will move around a little bit and there is potential for him getting out early but it's not about this, it’s about the bigger picture. He needs to get used to batting in that new role.”

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De Villiers currently sits on top of the ICC’s ODI batting rankings and is the No.2 Test batsman behind England’s Joe Root, but has slipped to No.44 in the Twenty20 rankings.

However his low position is mostly due to inactivity - before last month, de Villiers’ last international 20-over match was in April, 2014 – and he was the fourth-most prolific run scorer in this year’s Indian Premier League, averaging 46.63 and producing the tournament’s highest score of an unbeaten 133 from 59 balls.

With de Kock sent to India with South Africa A to regain form, de Villiers will also don the gloves in a T20 for the Proteas for the first time since early 2013.

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De Villiers with the gloves in 2012 // Getty Images

It’s a task the 31-year-old batsman has been reluctant to perform in recent years due to chronic back issues, and not one de Villiers – who is South Africa’s one-day captain – will be repeating in the three ODIs against New Zealand that will follow the T20 series.

"The only format we will see AB keeping in is T20 cricket - one-day cricket is just too much for him from a captaincy point of view," du Plessis said.

"Also, his body is quite important, we need AB to play for as long as possible.

"It's nice because we've got possibilities there for the T20s and it will only be something until the World Cup, not after that."

Winning matches in the lead-up to next year’s ICC World T20, to be held in India next March, will be a priority for the Proteas, du Plessis said.

"Leading up to the World Cup, winning games is extremely important,” he said.

"You want to get there with confidence and having most of your boxes ticked, especially in a short tournament like that. People may look at these games as an opportunity to give guys chances but for me it’s extremely important as we build up to the tournament.”

While New Zealand are without star players Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult and Tim Southee (all rested) as well as injured batsman Ross Taylor for the limited-overs series, du Plessis said he would not be taking the Black Caps lightly.

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Kane Williamson has been in excellent form for New Zealand // Getty Images

"The guys that are here are high quality cricketers. With T20 cricket you don't need as many players in your team to perform because it's so short,” du Plessis said.

"If you look at players like Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson who are in great form, they are big players for them.

"Their bowling attack will be guys who have played international cricket; McClenaghan, Milne and Henry are their frontline seamers, so for me it's going to be a tough test for us."

South Africa’s best finish in an ICC World T20 was in 2009 when they finished third. In last year’s tournament, the Proteas suffered a six-wicket semi-final loss to India.

The Proteas currently sit sixth on the ICC’s T20 team rankings, one spot ahead of the Black Caps, and will also play T20 series against India, England and Australia ahead of next year’s tournament.

South Africa T20 squad: Du Plessis (capt), Abbott, Amla, Behardien, De Villiers, JP Duminy, Eddie Leie, Miller, Morne Morkel, Phangiso, Rabada, Rossouw, Van Wyk, Wiese

New Zealand T20 squad: Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (capt), George Worker, Grant Elliot, Luke Ronchi, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Nathan McCullum, Doug Bracewell, Adam Milne, Mitchell McClenaghan

South Africa v New Zealand

August 14: First T20, Durban 

August 16: Second T20, Centurion 

August 19: First ODI, Centurion 

August 23: Second ODI, Potchefstroom 

August 26: Third ODI, Durban