JOHANNESBURG: South African captain and star batsman AB de Villiers failed a fitness Test on Tuesday and will undergo elbow surgery which will force him to miss home and away series against Australia.

Cricket South Africa announced on Tuesday that a left elbow impingement injury had failed to respond to rehabilitation and treatment, ruling De Villiers out of a five-match one-day series against Australia, starting in Centurion on Friday, as well as a three-match Test tour of Australia in November.

It is hoped he will be fit for a home series against Sri Lanka, starting on December 26.

Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee said: “AB has not recovered, which makes surgery the only long-term solution.

We have tried the conservative management of rest, physio, rehab and cortisone infiltration into the elbow, but that has not yielded the results that we would have liked. He will have surgery to the elbow early next week.”

De Villiers, 32, has already missed a Test series against New Zealand last month and last Sunday's one-day international against Ireland.

Faf du Plessis will captain the side in the one-day series against Australia and will almost certainly lead the side in the Test matches in Australia.