AB de Villiers has called on fans to support the Proteas as the local cricket community comes to terms with the news that he had requested to play at the World Cup.
De Villiers, who played the last of his 228 ODIs for the Proteas against India at Centurion in February 2018, retired in May last year with a batting average of 53.50, including 25 hundreds.
The 35-year-old sounded out skipper Faf du Plessis about a retirement U-turn, but no decision was required as the request wasn’t even considered by the captain and the Proteas’ hierarchy.
All that’s important is that we should all focus on supporting the team at the World Cup. There is a long way to go and I believe the boys can still go all the way #ProteaFire
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) June 6, 2019
Earlier, CSA released a statement on the matter.
‘AB is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but above all else, we have to stay true to our morals and principles, there is no regret in the decision,’ said Linda Zondi, responding to one of the biggest cricket stories the country has ever dealt with.