Jonty Rhodes Says, “ABD’s Return Might Upset A Few Players”

Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes said that while the team should pick AB de Villiers if that increases the chances of Proteas winning the upcoming T20 World Cup, it’s not going to be an easy decision to make.

AB De Villiers said that he would be happy to come out of international retirement at this year’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia from 18 October to 15 November.

South Africa coach Mark Boucher later said that de Villiers would have to make a decision by the end of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Rhodes said that while he is excited about the possibility of de Villiers returning to the South Africa squad, it could leave some of the current players disappointed as it could mean benching a player who is currently, a front runner to make it into the World T20 squad.

In a recent interview, Rhodes said, “I think it’s interesting because it’s a tough call.”

“You want your best team to play. It’s also tough on the guys who then miss out. You know AB is a very special player, so do you set a precedent for a guy like AB de Villiers if he is not playing for South Africa… I mean why are you selecting him?” Rhodes further added.

The former Proteas player then said, “I suppose a lot of people will watch how he performs in the IPL, but just watching him in the Big Bash League, he’s such a class player; I’m a big fan of AB de Villiers. But I’m just not sure of the precedent. If you want to win a T20 World Cup, you should do anything to win it. You’re not breaking any rules, you are setting a slight precedent and you are going to be upsetting a few players who are going to miss out.”

Jonty Rhodes further added that he would be delighted to see AB de Villiers play the upcoming T20 World Cup but he isn’t a member of the administration to make the decision. He further added that AB’s return would surely have hurt him if he were to lose his place in the team for AB to come in.