Even as South Africa coach Mark Boucher hinted at the return of AB De Villiers, cricket fans on Monday flooded social media sites with birthday wishes. The former Proteas captain turned 36 years old on February 17. (More Cricket News)
He retired from all international cricket in May 2018. The swashbuckling batsman then made a failed attempt to return for the 2019 50-over World Cup. But his bid was blocked by the national selectors, saying that the player had snubbed a request to play in two ODIs leading up to the tournament.
De Villiers' international comeback is still a speculation, but cricket fans will see Mr. 360 in action in the Indian Premier League.
Here are some wishes:
De Villiers' chances of playing in the T20 World Cup later this year in Australia have received a massive boost after Boucher vouched for his return.
Boucher's remarks came after the conclusion of the third and final T20I against England, which the team lost by five wickets.
"He's a discussion in the media and in the public but he is no discussion for me. I have had chats with him and we will probably know pretty soon what's going to happen with him. Like I said from day one when I took over, if we are going to a World Cup, I would like to have our best players there," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Boucher as saying.
"If AB is in good form and he is raring to go and he makes himself available for the time we have asked him to be available; if he is the best man for the job, then he must go. It's not about egos or anything like that, it's about sending your best team to the World Cup to try and win that competition," he added.
AB de Villiers was last seen in action in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Brisbane Heat.
After playing his first match in the tournament, he said that he wanted to represent South Africa in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
"I would love to. I have been talking to 'Bouch' (new South Africa coach Mark Boucher), (new director of cricket) Graeme Smith and (captain) Faf (du Plessis) back home, we are all keen to make it happen," cricket.com.au had quoted De Villiers as saying.
"So I'm thinking of throwing my name in the hat and hoping that everything will work out," he added.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2020 will start on October 18.
