‘Big fan of AB de Villiers, but his return would upset few players’ - Jonty Rhodes weighs in on debate around AB de Villiers’ international comeback
South Africa cricket is facing a big conundrum over the inclusion of AB de Villiers for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.
Former South Africa player Jonty Rhodes believes South Africa should look for different ways and means to win to the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup which will be held in Australia later this year. These comments have been made even as AB de Villiers has made his intentions clear of making a comeback to the national team. “I think it’s interesting because it’s a tough call. 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,” ESPN Cricinfo quoted Rhodes as saying.
“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,” he added.
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However, Rhodes also added that if de Villiers is indeed added to the South African team, it would upset a few players who have been doing well in the tournament but will have to miss out on selection.
“You are 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. But a team without AB de Villiers or a team with AB de Villiers... I’d love to see that guy play,” Rhodes said.
“Although difficult to answer that because I’m not somebody who is missing out, I’m also not from the administration about setting this kind of precedent, so I don’t have to make that call. It’ll just be great to see AB de Villiers play at a World Cup again for us,” he added.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 will commence from October 18 and will conclude on November 15 in Australia.
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