Is AB de Villiers Allowed To Make A Comeback To International Cricket? New Head Coach Mark Boucher Says 'Yes'

South Africa’s new head coach Mark Boucher is ready to select players who left playing for the country for Kolpak deals or for some other reasons. The list also includes the name of their former captain, AB de Villiers. He retired from international cricket in May 2018 to spend more time with his family.

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As he mentioned, he only plays T20 leagues around the world and has hardly played a complete season of a league. Staying true to his words, De Villiers spends most of his time with his family.

But ahead of World Cup 2019, he had offered to return for the tournament if required. Cricket South Africa did not include him in the squad and here has been no talk of De Villiers since then. But with the new head coach open to taking back any player, De Villiers might rethink his decision.

“When you go to a World Cup, you want your best players playing for you. If I feel he is one of your best players, why wouldn’t I want to have a conversation with him? I’ve only just got into the job, I might have conversations with quite a few players and see where they are,” Boucher said.

Other than De Villiers, Duanne Olivier’s decision to retire from international cricket to join Yorkshire as a Kolpak player a couple of months after Pakistan series surprised many. He shone with 24 wickets in the three-match series but Olivier decided to move on from the top level. He signed a three-year deal with the county club

Other than him, South Africa also lost likes of Wayne Parnell, Simon Harmer, Kyle Abbott and others who went on to play county cricket.

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Since Boucher has taken over the charge today, he is expected to come up with his plans soon. De Villiers, if he agrees to come back for T20 World Cup, will be a big boost for South Africa who just managed to win three games in World Cup.

Boucher will continue to keep the position till 2023 World Cup, during which Proteas play two T20 World Cups, one 50-over World Cup and ICC Test championship.