AB de Villiers' Return Might Hurt Few Players: Jonty Rhodes
Published - 10 Mar 2020, 05:04 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 04:44 AM
After South Africa suffered defeat World Cup 2019, fans on social media pointed out that the Proteas are missing the services of batting great AB de Villers. Following that, a lot of debates were carried on his return and now, he is likely to make a comeback for the upcoming T20I World Cup in Australia. Speaking of the same, Jonty Rhodes feels it is great for South Africa to have him back.
The 36-year-old was not picked for the recent T20 series against Australia, but he along with Imran Tahir and Chris Morris have now been given a deadline to make themselves available if they want to make the cut to South Africa’s squad for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup.
AB de Villiers is a special player – Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes believes South Africa should “do anything” to win the T20 World Cup, and that means picking AB de Villiers, who hasn’t played international cricket for nearly two years if needed. But Rhodes is concerned that picking de Villiers could set a worrying precedent, as it would mean leaving out a player who would be in contention in the lead-up to the tournament.
“I think it’s interesting because it’s a tough call,” Rhodes told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of the Road Safety World Series in Mumbai. “You want your best team to play, it’s also tough on the guys who then miss out. You know AB is a very special player so then do you set a precedent for a guy like AB de Villiers if he is not playing for South Africa, I mean why are you selecting him?
I am just not sure of the precedent: Jonty Rhodes
Jonty Rhodes feels the addition of AB de Villiers isn’t a wrong move South Africa but stated that the young players might not like the move. However, the head coach and South Africa board is pretty happy to have him, as it falls in the rules and regulations.
“I suppose a lot of people watch how he performed at the IPL but just watching him in the Big Bash, he’s such a class player; I’m a big fan of AB de Villiers. I’m just not sure of the precedent. If you want to win a T20 World Cup, you should do anything to win it. You’re not breaking any rules, you are setting a slight precedent and you are going to be upsetting a few players who are going to miss out,” he added.
If AB de Villiers marks his comeback into the international cricket then it will be a major boost for the Proteas ahead of the mega-event.
He is regarded as one of the best T20 batsmen across the globe who can single-handedly win the games for his team.
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