One of the outstanding batsmen of his generation, the 33 -year-old headed home after captaining the Proteas in a 19-run defeat by England in Cardiff on Sunday that saw them beaten 2 -1 in a three-match Twenty20 series.
They previously lost a one-day international series to England by the same scoreline and then suffered a hugely disappointing first-round exit at the Champions Trophy.
But a Test series against England is the centrepiece of a four-month tour.
However, it has long been planned that de Villiers would miss the four-Test campaign to take a break from the strain of being one of the world's leading players in all three international formats, as well as a man in demand at lucrative Twenty20 franchise events around the world.
"I am going to meet with CSA (Cricket South Africa) in August, and that will decide my (international) future," de Villiers told reporters after making a typically dashing 35 off 19 balls.
- 'Won't pick and choose' -
===========================
"We will see what works for both parties," added the gifted shotmaker, who has scored more than 8,000 runs in 106 Tests, including 21 hundreds, at an average of over 50.
"We are not going to pick and choose games, but we are going to make a final decision about what happens for the next few years."
"I want to make sure I am ready for September, when Bangladesh come."
For all his success at Test level, de Villiers's burning ambition is to help South Africa win a maiden World Cup title.
Their attempts since a 1992 debut -- after years of isolation due to apartheid -- have been dogged by bad luck and reverses snatched from the jaws of all-but-certain victory, leaving South Africa with the unwanted tag of "chokers".
But de Villiers, whose stunning 31-ball century against the West Indies at Johannesburg in 2015 remains the fastest ODI hundred, added: "I don't even think it's in my hands, what is going to happen.
"I will wait until the final decision on the coach and things like that are made," he explained, with Russell Domingo's future already uncertain before he left the tour prior to the Proteas' three-run win in the second Twenty20 at Taunton on Friday after his mother was involved in a traffic accident.
As well as de Villiers, South Africa could be without another senior batsman in Faf du Plesiss for the first Test at Lord's, which starts on July 6.
Du Plessis, the Proteas' Test skipper, is awaiting the birth of his first child, who is expected in the first week of July.
De Villiers, asked if he had thought about staying on to lead the Test side if du Plessis -- who missed the Twenty20 series in anticipation -- was still absent, replied: "No, not at all.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
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