Agence France-Presse
Centurion, Jan 21: South African captain AB de Villiers said here Thursday that he would like to see ‘a few smart heads’ involved in the team’s back-up staff. He also said that he is keen to remain Test captain but he wants to have discussions about strengthening the coaching staff before South Africa’s next Test series against New Zealand in August.
“I am keen to play a big role going forward but it’s not solely my decision,” said De Villiers. “I’ve seen a lot of talent come through. We just need to get a bit of experience and a few smart heads involved. I am sure that a turnaround for South African cricket is round the corner.”
There has been criticism of the lack of hard experience in the South African coaching set-up and in particular the lack of a batting coach. De Villiers agreed that a batting coach was a priority.
“I think we have been a bit naïve in believing we can just go on in the way we have been. We need to get a bit of advice and help, not only from a batting coach, a few other areas as well.” stated De Villiers.
In spite of England being 2-0 up in the four-game series, the South African skipper asserted that his side would certainly like to reduce the margin. “There is no such thing as a dead match in any series,” asserted De Villiers. “We’d hate to lose 3-0. I think 2-1 sounds a lot better. We haven’t won a Test match for 12 months and that fact is a huge motivation for us.”