Published 12:19 IST, July 22nd 2020
AB de Villiers was surely in South Africa's plans for T20 World Cup: Quinton de Kock
South African captain Quinton de Kock recently revealed that AB de Villiers was in Cricket South Africa's radar for the now-postponed T20 World Cup 2020.
Former South African captain AB de Villiers announced his international retirement in May 2018. However, the maverick batsman was in talks with Cricket South Africa to make a comeback into the national side for the impending T20 World Cup in Australia. Unfortunately for AB de Villiers and his fans, the T20 World Cup scheduled to be played in October-November this year got postponed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in wake of the coronavirus global pandemic.
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Quinton de Kock talks about AB de Villiers’ now-hampered return
South African limited-overs captain Quinton de Kock recently interacted with Star Sports on their Cricket Connected Show. During the interaction, the wicketkeeper-batsman confirmed that AB de Villiers was “definitely in line” to make a return to international cricket this year. He said that there were plans made by Cricket South Africa to select the battle-hardened campaigner in at least one of the series prior to the showpiece event. However, with ICC’s recent take on the tournament, Quinton de Kock said that they will now have to wait and look into the updated schedule of the impending T20 World Cup.
IPL 2020 updates: AB de Villiers in RCB
The Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) was originally scheduled to launch on March 29 before the pandemic enforced an indefinitely delay to the tournament. With ICC’s latest take on the T20 World Cup, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now taking measures to host the much-awaited event during the time frame. According to a report by The Times of India, the BCCI has zeroed in on September 26 to November 8 as possible dates for IPL 2020 with UAE emerging as the frontrunner to host the event.
Image credits: IPLT20.COM
While his international return has taken a backseat for the time being, AB de Villiers is all set to take field for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), should IPL 2020 takes place later this year. During the IPL 2020 trading and transfer window, AB de Villiers along with captain Virat Kohli became two of the 13 cricketers to be retained by the franchise for the now-postponed IPL 2020 season. The RCB retained AB de Villiers for a staggering amount of ₹17 crore (US$2.2 million).
Also Read | Virat Kohli Smashes 82* In T20 World Cup Match Vs Australia On Mar 27, 2016, Watch Video
Cover Image credit: ICC Twitter
Updated 12:19 IST, July 22nd 2020