Faf du Plessis quashes rumours about AB de Villiers' comeback

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has rubbished rumours of AB de Villiers making a comeback to the national side ahead of the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. The much-followed cricketer had announced his retirement in May this year in what came as a shock to the entire cricketing fraternity. He had decided to hang up his boots after playing 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for South Africa, during which he amassed over 20,000 international runs.

The Proteas legend had said that he was pleased to call time on his career and also mentioned that he couldn’t handle the pressure of being an international cricketer and had therefore lost the desire to play in the 2019 World Cup.

But shortly after his retirement, there were rumours which surfaced about AB possibly making a comeback to the national setup ahead of the mega-event which will be held in England. South Africa have come agonizingly close to making it to the finals, but the coveted trophy has always eluded them.

Speaking to Netwerk24 in an interview, Faf du Plessis mentioned that he wouldn’t want to involve AB de Villiers in the current South Africa team unless it was as a player. “If we wanted him involved in some capacity in the group then it would be as a player. It won’t make sense for me to just have AB as part of the management or coaching team. There is, in any case, enough members in our management team. To only have AB there to throw balls won’t suffice,” the captain said.

ABD still available to play T20 leagues

While AB De Villiers will no longer be featuring in international cricket, he will still be plying his trade in T20 leagues including the star-studded IPL. He has been a part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise for several years now and has developed a strong friendship with teammate and captain Virat Kohli.

Meanwhile, Faf du Plessis will be gearing up for what is likely to be a hostile reception from the crowd and media when his team travels Down Under for a limited-overs series comprising of three ODIs and a lone T20I. This is the first time South Africa and Australia will face off on the cricket field since the infamous Sandpapergate rocked international cricket this year in March. The first match of the series will take place on November 4.

“It will be nice and hostile. We are not expecting anything less. Zunaid our security officer has been working hard in the gym,” Du Plessis added. “We expect them to try and unsettle us as a team when it comes to the media space, obviously with myself being at the forefront of it, but we see it as part and parcel of touring Australia,” the skipper signed off.

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