ABD offered to come back, SA have no regrets in turning him away

Durban, June 6 

Cricket South Africa selection convenor Linda Zondi said they have no regrets in turning down an approach from retired batsman AB de Villiers to make himself available for the World Cup in England and Wales. South Africa have lost all three of their games at the tournament, largely because of a soft middle-order that is badly missing de Villiers, who retired from cricket in May 2018. However, it emerged that de Villiers had made an offer to come out of retirement to represent South Africa in the World Cup.

But Zondi said the approach by de Villiers had come only 24 hours before South Africa were due to announce their final squad, and was rejected out of hand. “At no point in the year that he had retired did he make himself available for selection,” Zondi said in a CSA statement. “It was no option when I received the news on the day of the squad announcement, our squad was finalised and confirmed. AB is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but above all else, we have to stay true to our morals and principles, there is no regret in the decision.”

There would also have been a feeling of opportunism on behalf of de Villiers, who had skipped South Africa’s build-up to the event, but then sought to be part of the party at the last minute. “I pleaded with AB de Villiers not to retire in 2018,” Zondi added. “Although there was a perception that he was picking and choosing when to play – which was not true — I did give him the option to plan and monitor his season to get him to the World Cup fresh and in a good space. We made it clear that he would have to play during the home tours vs Lanka and Pak to be considered for selection, instead he signed to play in the Pakistan and Bangladesh leagues.” — Reuters