However, The T20 World Cup will be held in 2021. As a result, Linda Zondi, a former South African top selector, has disclosed why AB de Villiers was not chosen for the 2019 ICC Men’s World Cup. De Villiers wanted to be a member of the squad. The selector said it would be unfair to the other players if he did.
In May of 2018, AB de Villiers retired from international cricket. Given that he was only 34 years old at the time, the decision stunned the cricketing world.
During the Social Justice & Nation Building (SJN) hearings, Linda Zondi spoke about this. She confirmed that AB de Villiers’ willingness to play in the World Cup was expressed by captain Faf du Plessis.
Faf du Plessis
“The captain (Faf du Plessis) came to me and said AB would like to be included in the World Cup. I turned it down. I turned it down. Thus, I thought it was unethical to the players who were part of the squad,” Linda Zondi said.
Zondi went on to say that he had asked the wicket-keeper batter to stay until the World Cup when he announced his intention to retire.
“AB had earlier come to me and said he wanted to retire and I told him, we need you in the World Cup in England. If there are certain series you miss, we can work with that. I said I am happy to manage your time and you can retire after the World Cup. He said no, he wants to retire.” he said
South Africa placed seventh in the World Cup points table after winning only three of their nine matches.
Linda Zondi, the chief selector at the time, addressed the issue surrounding Dean Elgar’s selection over Khaya Zondo. This happened during South Africa’s 2015 trip to India.
After JP Duminy suffered an injury, Khaya Zondo, who was in the squad, was expected to replace him in the starting XI. Dean Elgar, on the other hand, was flown in from South Africa and was part of the team that defeated Zondo.
The selectors had chosen Zondo for the match, but Hussein Manack, the touring selector, was under pressure to pick Elgar.
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