DHAKA: Former South Africa international AB de Villiers made a last-gasp offer to come out of international retirement for the World Cup, according to ESPNcricinfo.

De Villiers, who retired from international duty in May 2018, is believed to have made the offer in May, just a day before the Proteas selectors were due to unveil their final 15-man squad for the tournament in England and Wales.

The 35-year-old is said to have approached captain Faf du Plessis, head coach Ottis Gibson and convenor of selectors Linda Zondi, where he expressed his wish to reverse his retirement, but he was immediately informed this would not be possible.

ESPNcricinfo also maintain that according to people close to discussions, de Villiers' request was "not even considered".

It is understood that there were two principal reasons for the decision from the team management and selectors to reject the former captain's advances. Firstly, he did not fulfil the selection criteria, which included playing South African domestic cricket or international cricket in the months following his retirement.

It was also felt that recalling him would have been unjust to the players who have been brought in and performing well in his absence, such as Rassie van der Dussen, who made three fifties in his first four ODI innings after making his debut against Pakistan in January.

The Cricketer

BDST: 1408 HRS, JUN 6, 2019
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