AB de Villiers to take gloves against England

AB de Villiers will resume the role of wicketkeeper-batsman for South Africa's first two Tests against England in the upcoming four-match series.

De Villiers kept wicket during the Test series against West Indies a year ago after Quinton de Kock sustained a hand injury and will take the gloves again at Kingsmead on December 26 and in the second Test at Newlands.

The prolific batsman is preferred to De Kock and Dane Vilas, who will both get a chance to prove the selectors wrong when they turn out for South Africa A against England next weekend.

Temba Bavuma opened the batting in the fourth Test defeat against India, but will drop down into the middle order against England, with Dean Elgar and Stiaan van Zyl opening.

Uncapped batsman Rilee Rossouw has been called up, while Dane Piedt is the only spinner in the 13-man squad as Simon Harmer and Imran Tahir have been dropped.

Vernon Philander remains sidelined owing to an ankle injury which cut short his tour of India, but fellow quick Dale Steyn has recovered from a groin injury which kept him out of three of the four Tests in the Proteas' 3-0 defeat in India.

Cricket South Africa selection convener Linda Zondi said: "One of the issues that concerned us during the tour to India, was the lack of depth to our batting, particularly in the lower order and the change in AB’s role means that we can now have a specialist batsman at number seven.

"We now feel that the side has a much better balance about it without in any way reducing the tactical options available to our captain, Hashim Amla. "The return to South African conditions made it inevitable that we would only choose one specialist spinner with JP Duminy and Elgar both available as back-up and Dane [Piedt] is the man in possession. "Our batting line-up has served us well in the past in matches under our own conditions and I am confident they will be ready for the challenge in what is going to be a very tough series in which experience will play a vital role."

South Africa squad in full: Hashim Amla (captain), AB de Villiers, Kyle Abbott, Temba Bavuma, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Morne Morkel, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Dale Steyn, Stiaan van Zyl.