BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 19: AB de Villiers of the Heat looks on during the Bash Bash League match between the Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades at The Gabba on January 19, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
AB de Villiers at T20 World Cup now almost a certainty
Proteas Team Director Mark Boucher is dead keen to get AB de Villiers back into the national team setup for the T20 World Cup.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – JANUARY 19: AB de Villiers of the Heat looks on during the Bash Bash League match between the Brisbane Heat and Melbourne Renegades at The Gabba on January 19, 2020 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
Proteas Team Director Mark Boucher has made it clear that AB de Villiers remains very much in the frame for the T20 World Cup.
The tournament gets underway in October in Australia and the Proteas should have at least an outside shot at the title with or without de Villiers.
AB de Villiers keen to go to T20 World Cup
It was made clear that de Villiers would consider an international return for the tournament, but he will also need to prove his form prior to the event.
After the series against Australia, the Proteas only scheduled T20I action will come in a five-match series against the West Indies in the United States and the Caribbean.
De Villiers turned out for the Brisbane Heat in Australia’s Big Bash League at the turn of the year and is expected to play some part in the Titans domestic T20 campaign.
Netwerk24 have reported that de Villiers is almost certain to take part in the T20 World Cup after recent discussions with Boucher.
The Proteas had their tour to Pakistan, slated for March, cancelled over workload concerns but it seemed unlikely that de Villiers would have deigned to make that trip, especially with the Indian Premier League set to get underway at the end of the third month pf 2020.
The IPL runs from 29 March – 24 May and should give selectors some idea of what kind of form de Villiers is in. He will also possibly have a few matches on the proposed tour to Sri Lanka in June.
Boucher wants the best players
“Like I said from the beginning, I want to have the best players available,” Boucher told Netwerk 24.
If AB is willing, his form is good and he makes himself available when we want him, then he has to go to the T20 World Cup if he’s the best player in his position. It’s not about egos, it’s about sending your best team to the T20 World Cup to give yourself a chance to win the tournament.”
As one of the top eight ranked T20 nations South Africa have been given a bye to the Super 12 stage and form part of Group 2 which also includes Afghanistan, England and India. Joining them in that group will be the winners of Group A (Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Oman) and the second-placed team in Group B (Bangladesh, Namibia, the Netherlands, Scotland).
The other Super 12 group is populated by defending champions the West Indies, hosts Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand. The Super 12 phase will determine which teams contest the T20 World Cup semi-finals.
