Adelaide [Australia], Jan 17 : After expressing his desire to play the upcoming T20 World Cup for South Africa, AB de Villiers on Friday went on to say that he also wants to play the 50-over format for the side.
However, the batsman said that it is important for him to stay fit, and he also ruled out playing the longest format of the game for the Proteas.
De Villiers was talking to commentator Adam Gilchrist during the Big Bash League (BBL) match between Brisbane Heat and Adelaide Strikers.
“I would love to be involved, I’m going to have to go score some runs and stay fit and hopefully they pick me. Watching some of the Test matches over December I was definitely thinking it would be really nice to be out there, but things have changed in my life … I don’t want to play 11 months of the year any more, it’s too much,” foxsports.com.au quoted de Villiers as saying.
“ODIs I wouldn’t take completely out of the equation, but for Test matches, it’s pretty much done,” he added.
The former South Africa star, however, realised that he would be required to play some series ahead of the T20 World Cup to showcase his form with the bat in hand.
“I would love to play, that was never the problem. I always wanted to play for South Africa, it’s a great honour to play international cricket. I have been chatting with Mark Boucher, Smithy and some of the guys involved so hopefully it all works out,” de Villiers said.
“We have had a few good discussions about the possible way forward. I’m going to have to score some runs obviously,” he added.
In the match against Strikers earlier today, de Villiers failed to leave a mark with the bat as he managed to score just two runs.
Strikers handed the Heat a ten-wicket defeat.
The 35-year-old had announced his retirement from the international format on May 23, 2018.
However, he tried to stage a comeback in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019, but was not able to reach an agreement with the management.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 will commence from October 18 and will conclude on November 15 in Australia.
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as a health advice. We would ask you to consult a qualified professional or medical expert to gain additional knowledge before you choose to consume any product or perform any exercise.
