Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers is considering coming out of international retirement to play in the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
De Villiers retired from Test, ODI and T20I cricket in 2018. He has since played for several franchises in domestic T20 competitions around the world.
The hard-hitting right-hander is currently playing for the Brisbane Heat in Australia's Big Bash League. He struck 40 on debut on Tuesday, as the Heat beat the Adelaide Strikers. Later this year, de Villiers will return to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
“There's a lot that needs to happen before that becomes reality,” said de Villiers.
“I would love to. I've been talking to [head coach] Mark Boucher, [director of cricket] Graeme Smith and [captain] Faf du Plessis back home, we're all keen to make it happen.
“It's a long way away still, and plenty can happen – there's the IPL coming up, I've still got to be in form at that time. So I'm thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping that everything will work out.
“It's not a guarantee, once again. I don't want to disappoint myself or other people, so for now I'm just going to try and keep a low profile, try and play the best possible cricket that I can and then see what happens towards the end of the year.”
What Mark Boucher said about AB de Villiers
Boucher replaced former head coach Ottis Gibson earlier this year. At the time, he suggested inviting de Villiers out of international retirement. They were working together at the Tshwane Spartans in South Africa'a Mzansi Super League at the time.
“From a coach's perspective, I'd love to have the opportunity to deepen and strengthen the squad. It will keep everyone on their toes and will bring more excellence into the game in this country,” said Boucher.
“When you go to a World Cup, you want your best players playing for you. If you feel like he is one of your best players than why wouldn't I want to have conversations with them to see where we maybe go?
“I might have a few conversations with quite a few players and see where they are. Like I said, you want your best players in the World Cup and if there are a couple of issues that needs to be ironed out, if it's for the best of South Africa to try and win us a World Cup, then absolutely, let's try and do it.”
