Mark Boucher: If de Villiers is ready and willing, he will be at T20 World Cup

De Villiers had attempted a return for last year's World Cup but the selectors felt he had made his pitch too late and risked disruption to the side.

Published : Feb 17, 2020 11:01 IST , Johannesburg

De Villiers retired from all formats of international cricket in May 2018, citing a heavy workload.
De Villiers retired from all formats of international cricket in May 2018, citing a heavy workload.
lightbox-info

De Villiers retired from all formats of international cricket in May 2018, citing a heavy workload.

The retired AB de Villiers will be considered for selection ahead of T20 World Cup only if he shows good form and proves himself to be the “best man for the job”, said South Africa head coach Mark Boucher.

Soon after taking charge in December last year, Boucher had said he may try and persuade a few recent retirees, including de Villiers, to return to the South Africa set-up for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.

READ |

"He's a discussion in the media and in the public but he is no discussion for me. I have had chats with him and we will probably know pretty soon what's going to happen with him," Boucher said after South Africa’s 1-2 defeat to England in the just-concluded three-match T20 series at home.

"Like I said from day one when I took over, if we are going to a World Cup, I would like to have our best players there.

"If AB is in good form and he is raring to go and he makes himself available for the time we have asked him to be available; if he is the best man for the job, then he must go," he added.

READ |

No egos

Boucher said “ego” would not come in the way of taking de Villiers back, whose previous request for a comeback before last year’s ODI World Cup was turned down by the then team management and the national selectors.

"It's not about egos or anything like that, it's about sending your best team to the World Cup to try and win that competition," he said.

De Villiers, 36, retired from all international cricket in May 2018.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment