ABD was concerned about taking someone else's spot, says Boucher
May 19, 2021
Cape Town [South Africa], May 19 : South Africa head coach Mark Boucher has said that AB de Villiers decided to not come out of his international retirement as he was worried that he might end up taking up a spot of some other player who actually deserved the go.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday had announced that former Proteas cricketer AB de Villiers will not be coming out of retirement as the batsman has decided "once and for all" that his decision to retire remains final.
"Discussions with AB de Villiers have concluded with the batsman deciding once and for all that his retirement will remain final," CSA said in an official statement.
"AB has his reasons, which I respect. Unfortunately he's no longer in the mix. I say unfortunately because I think we all agree that he's still one of the best - if not the best - T20 players in world cricket," Boucher was quoted as saying in The Citizen, as reported by ESPNcricinfo.
"But he alluded to being concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been a part of the system. I don't think it sat well with him, which I understand. But as a coach, I needed to try and get our best players, for the team and the environment. AB is an energy booster in any environment, but I respect his reasoning. It was worth a go, but now let's move forward," he added.
AB de Villiers had retired from international cricket in May 2018, but there have been suggestions in the past that he could make a comeback for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The right-handed batsman had also wanted to make a comeback for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, but his discussions with CSA did not go through and he was not able to make a return.
