AB de Villiers said that he and the South Africa head coach Mark Boucher will talk about the former captain coming out of retirement to play for the Proteas at this year’s T20 World Cup.
AB de Villiers interested to play in T20 WC
Mark Boucher claims that the discussion of including AB de Villiers in T20 WC is still on the table. He also claims that he will give a ‘shout’ to de Villiers after IPL 2021.
“We are lined up to have a chat sometime during the IPL. But yes, we’ve been talking about it already,” de Villiers, who retired from international cricket in May 2018, said after leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore to victory over the Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.
“Last year, he asked me if I would be interested. And I said, ‘absolutely’. And come to the end of the IPL, we will have a look at where we are at with regards to my form and my fitness.
AB de Villiers also said that how South Africa shape up in terms of their current players will also be a factor in whether he will return to the squad or not.
“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 [the chat with] Bouchy towards the end of the IPL, and we will then plan accordingly.”
Mark Boucher Reply to ABD
“I did chat to him (AB de Villiers) before he went to the IPL. The conversation is still very much open,” Boucher told reporters according to South Africa website timeslive.co.za.
“AB, being the person he is, wants to perform very well at the IPL to prove to himself and everyone else that he is still a very key figure in world cricket and could dominate at that level,” he added.
“I said to him: ‘Go do your thing, and I’ll give you a shout towards the back-end of the IPL.’ So that is where we are with him,” Boucher further said.
Since the 2019 ODI World Cup, de Villiers has played 41 T20s, averaging 46.60 at a strike rate of 162.55 with 15 half-centuries. In IPL 2020, he scored 454 runs, including five fifties, in 14 innings, and after three games in IPL 2021, he has an average of 62.50 and a strike rate of 189.39.
Currently in the ongoing IPL 2021 ABD scored 48 off 27 balls to help RCB to victory against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the opening game before smashing an unbeaten 76 off 34 balls on Sunday against KKR. It helped RCB win the match by 38 runs.
RCB currently holds the first position in the IPL 2021 points table. Apart from this the T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held during the months of October and November in India.
