South African batting great AB de Villiers reiterated the desire to represent his country at this year’s T20 World Cup scheduled for October-November in India.
The talks of De Villiers’ potential comeback in the national colours have retriggered with the right-hand batter enjoying his best form in the starting phase of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Batting on No.5 for RCB, De Villiers blasted an unbeaten 76 off just 34 balls against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday to set his team on their way to a third consecutive victory at the start of the IPL 2021. Earlier in the competition, he had played a vital knock to propel RCB past defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI).
After the KKR encounter, De Villiers revealed he is about to hold discussions around his South Africa comeback with former national teammate and current head coach Mark Boucher, with the T20 World Cup in mind.
“I haven’t had a discussion with Bouchy yet. We are lined up to have a chat somewhere during the IPL but yes we have been talking about it,” Last year, he asked me if I would be interested. And I said, ‘absolutely’. And come the end of the IPL, we will have a look at where we are at with regards to my form and my fitness.
Also, the situation with his team – he’s got to look at his guys who have been performing well over the last while. If there’s no space for me, so be it. If I can slot in there, it will be fantastic if all those things fall in place. Waiting for Bouchy towards the end of the IPL, and we will then plan accordingly,”
De Villiers said at the post-match presser.
De Villiers opted for premature retirement from the international stage back in early 2018, citing excessive workload and lack of family time as two major reasons. The 37-year-old, however, remains in the pink of health with his game and retains the passion in his heart to perform for South Africa.
Interestingly, just ahead of the 2019 World Cup in the UK, De Villiers had a made push with the selectors and the management to feature at the quadrennial event. But his last-minute attempt was thwarted by the selection panel and Proteas management as they felt it was too late for De Villiers to be included in the 15-man World Cup squad.
Things seem to have changed on this front, though, with Boucher keen to have De Villiers back since becoming the South Africa head coach post the 2019 World Cup and open for discussions on the matter. During the recently concluded Pakistan T20I series, which Proteas lost at home 3-1, Boucher confirmed that he had a word with De Villiers about coming back from retirement before he departed to India for IPL 2021.
“The conversation is still very openю AB being the person he is, he wanted to perform very well at the IPL to prove to himself and everyone else that he’s still a key figure in world cricket and can dominate at that level. I said to him, ‘You go do your thing and I’ll give you a shout towards the end of the IPL and see where you are.”
Boucher had said.
In an international career spanning 14 years from 2004 to 2018, De Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for South Africa. De Villiers, inarguably one of the greatest cricketers that South Africa have ever produced, was an integral member of his country’s most successful Test team.
