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De Villiers back as captain

By AFP
Africa South African cricket team captain AB de Villiers, pictured in 2016, has recovered from an elbow injury which prevented him from playing for six months.  By Jewel SAMAD AFPFile
JAN 23, 2017 LISTEN
South African cricket team captain AB de Villiers, pictured in 2016, has recovered from an elbow injury which prevented him from playing for six months. By Jewel SAMAD (AFP/File)

Johannesburg (AFP) - AB de Villiers will captain South Africa in a five-match one-day international series against Sri Lanka, starting in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.

Batting star De Villiers, who has recovered from an elbow injury which prevented him from playing for six months, regains the captaincy after Faf du Plessis led South Africa to a 5-0 clean sweep in a one-day series against Australia last October.

Du Plessis has subsequently been named South Africa's long-term Test captain.

De Villiers will make his international comeback in the third and final Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Cape Town on Wednesday before resuming his one-day international career.

Also back in the one-day squad after a long injury lay-off is all-rounder Chris Morris. Fast bowler Lungi Ngidi is the only newcomer to one-day internationals after taking six wickets in the first two Twenty20 internationals.

Fast bowlers Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel were not considered because of injury.

South Africa's squad for the first three one-day internationals: AB de Villiers (captain), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi.

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