AB’s last minute bid for World Cup inclusion was rejected – Cricket SA
"We had players who put in the hard work, who put up their hand and deserved the opportunity to go to the World Cup. The decision was based on principle," Cricket SA said.
With Proteas licking their wounds after a hat-trick of defeats at the World Cup, news emerged this morning that their former starman AB de Villiers had offered to join the team.
De Villiers first approached the Cricket SA management 24 hours before the final 15 man squad to England was announced but his offer was rejected.
"There is no comeback. I’m very very happy with where I’m at in my life. I don’t want to confuse anybody, especially not the (Proteas) team, it will be very selfish and arrogant of me to throw statements around that I’m keen to play a World Cup." – AB de Villiers on 13-11-2018
— stuart hess (@shockerhess) June 6, 2019
Cricket SA National Selection Panel convenor Linda Zondi confirmed on Thursday that de Villiers’s last-gasp effort to play in the World Cup did not make sense given the fact that the Pretoria based cricketer retired when the team needed him the most.
READ MORE HERE: AB de Villiers retirement leaves more questions than answers
“I pleaded with AB de Villiers not to retire in 2018. 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 against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to be considered for selection, instead, he signed to play in the Pakistan and Bangladesh Premier Leagues respectively. He turned down the offer and said he was at peace with his decision to retire.
“For Faf du Plessis and Ottis Gibson to share AB’s desire to be included in the squad on the day, we announced our World Cup squad on April 18th, was a shock to all of us. AB left a big vacuum when he retired, we had a year to find players at franchise level to fill the gap. We had players who put in the hard work, who put up their hands and deserved to be given the opportunity to go to the World Cup. The decision was based on principle; we had to be fair to the team, the selection panel, our franchise system and players.
The @OfficialCSA team management begged @ABdeVilliers17 not to retire.
Take a sabbatical, skip a few series they said.
Don't use the word retire.
He said he was at peace with his decision.
This u-turn, before @CWC19_ICC came too late.
How do you accommodate that?
How?— Squinting Quarantino (@whamzam17) June 6, 2019
“At no point in the year that he had retired did he make himself available for selection. 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.”
In a tweet, de Villiers urged fans to focus on supporting the Proteas.
All that’s important is that we should all focus on supporting the team at the World Cup. There is a long way to go and I believe the boys can still go all the way #ProteaFire
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 6, 2019
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