De Villiers optimistic about beleaguered Proteas' Test future

South Africa captain AB de Villiers has insisted that he is optimistic about his embattled side's Test future despite enduring a string of failures in the longer format of the game this summer.

The swashbuckling batsman, whose side are currently trailing 0-2 to touring England side in the four-match series, admitted that losing big players had affected South Africa in the ongoing series, pointing to the absence of injured pace spearhead Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.

However, De Villiers asserted that there was enough depth to take the team forward and called for some patience and time to allow inexperienced players to settle into their roles, Sport24 reported.

Ahead of the inconsequential fourth Test starting on Friday, De Villiers expressed that they would hate to lose 3-0, adding that it was time for them to wake up a little bit and to start playing proper cricket.