After bashing AB de Villiers, Shoaib Akhtar now found praising him on another channel

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers made the headlines in the middle of the Cricket World Cup 2019 even without participating. A report came out in ESPNcricinfo saying that the 35-year-old had offered the South African team management to play in the World Cup barely 24 hours before the final squad for the tournament was announced.

The Proteas team management refused to accommodate him saying it was far too late and also that it would have done injustice to the younger players who have done all the hard work to represent South Africa on the world stage. The cricketing world was left divided over Cricket South Africa’s moralistic take on the matter. The issue became even hotter since South Africa have failed to impress in the World Cup so far with no win from four matches.

De Villiers called it quits exactly a year ago before the World Cup and focused on playing franchise cricket in the last 12 months which made it even tougher for the authorities to include him in the squad. A number of former cricketers spoke on the matter related to de Villiers and one among them is Shoaib Akhtar. The former speedster lashed out at de Villiers and even accused him of prioritising money over the country.

He even asked him to be a man. In his Youtube channel, the 43-year-old said de Villiers should have remembered that his country needed him.

“The money will come today or tomorrow but you the call of making money and ignore the World Cup. I don’t mind people making money but do it in the right way. If you indeed have to make money then pick and chose correctly but keep your country as the priority. Now to clear your name you made a last-ditch offer to come out of international retirement for this summer’s World Cup. But I think the management was correct in their stand,” Akhtar said in his video uploaded last week.

Akhtar’s u-turn was faster than his fastest ball

But it was turning for Akhtar to shock people thereafter. Video of another Pakistani channel recently surfaced that showed the former Pakistan bowler speaking in a completely contrasting tone. Backing de Villiers, he said in the presence of other panellists including former Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener: “Common, she served at his best efforts. He deserves a chance to make a good comeback and a good exit. What if he needed money? He was broken after the 2015 World Cup. Why doesn’t he deserve a chance? What he has done for South Africa? Do you forget all of that all of a sudden?”