Conversations have taken place: du Plessis on ABD's international return
South African cricket team captain Faf du Plessis had revealed on Monday that talks are going on between the country's cricket board (CSA) and AB de Villiers regarding the latter's return to the team before the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia next year. ABD had shocked the cricketing fraternity by retiring from international cricket in May 2018. Here are further details.
CSA keen to bolster the side with ABD's return
South African cricket is heading into a new phase after the induction of Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher as CSA director of cricket and head coach respectively. The two want to bolster the national team with the best-possible players before the ICC World T20 in 2020. Conversations have been held with De Villiers, who has been plying his trade across global T20 leagues.
Those conversations have taken place: Faf du Plessis
The Proteas skipper said talks are ongoing with De Villiers. "Those conversations have been happening two or three months ago," said Du Plessis. "The T20 World Cup is not too far away and there isn't a long list of T20 internationals over the season. Those conversations have taken place and they will take place before the next T20 international series starts," he added.
Head coach Boucher keen to have a word with ABD
Meanwhile, new head coach Boucher confirmed his intention of bringing the superstar back and said that he was open to having a discussion. "When you go to a World Cup you want your best players playing for you. Why wouldn't I want to have a conversation with him?. I might have conversations with quite a few players and see where they are," he stated.
ABD fared well in the recently-concluded Mzansi Super League
ABD was recently seen in the Mzansi Super League 2019. The celebrated T20 freelancer played for the Tshwane Spartans. De Villiers was the third-highest run-scorer in the T20 tournament. In nine matches, he scored 325 runs at 46.42 which included four half-centuries. The former SA skipper will next be seen in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2019-20. He will represent the Brisbane Heat.
World T20: ABD can be a valuable asset for SA
ABD is still a household name in T20 cricket and his exploits across leagues is pretty fascinating. The player will also be seen in IPL 2020 and given his pedigree, he can be a valuable asset for SA with the ICC World T20 in mind.
