London — Graeme Smith has claimed AB de Villiers was talked out of Test retirement by Cricket SA, and has advised him to give up the one-day captaincy in the best interests of his performance at the 2019 World Cup. "The last year to 18 months has seen AB criticised for ‘picking and choosing’ his tours‚ and I don’t feel that the PR around the issue has been handled at all well by those around him‚" Smith wrote in a column in The Independent on Monday. "It’s my belief that AB was looking to walk away from the Test game last year at some point, but has been encouraged to carry on by Cricket SA. "His personal prerogative is ensuring he does all he can to add as much longevity to his international career as possible‚ as well as taking into account the harsh realities of touring." Smith railed at disappointment in SA and England at De Villiers’s decision not to play in three Test series in 2017.
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