Mark Boucher, the new South African head coach, said he might talk to AB de Villiers in an attempt to convince the star batsman to return to the national team before T20 World Cup in Australia.
After South Africa’s Test series at home against Australia in 2018, De Villiers retired from international cricket, citing heavy workload, but has since been in fine form in the T20 leagues around the world.
De Villers will add bolster the team with his quality and experience ahead of the big tournament. Meanwhile, the South African team is still trying to rebuild after losing a host of stars to retirement or Kolpak deals.
“When you go to a World Cup, you want your best players playing for you,” Boucher told.
“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,” he added.
“You want your best players playing in the World Cup and if there’s a couple of issues you need to iron out, with media, with team-mates, and if it’s for the good of South Africa, why not, let’s do it,” the former South Africa wicketkeeper said.
Boucher was appointed the head coach for South Africa until 2023 on Saturday. Cricket South Africa’s interim cricket boss, former captain Graeme Smith, who took up his post on Wednesday, made the announcement.
