De Villiers shunned
THE revelation that star batsman AB de Villiers made a last-minute offer to come out of international retirement to play for South Africa at the Cricket World Cup but was turned down has further unsettled a team already teetering on the edge of crisis.
With media reports swirling, South Africa’s head of team selection confirmed the news yesterday, saying he was only made aware of de Villiers’ offer to come back on the day the country’s World Cup squad was announced last month.
The offer was passed on to the selectors by captain Faf du Plessis, a long-time friend of de Villiers, and coach Ottis Gibson. It was rejected, head selector Linda Zondi said, in fairness to other players who had “put in the hard work” in the months leading up to the squad being chosen.
“We have to stay true to our morals and principles,” Zondi said. He said there was “no regret in the decision” to ignore the batsman, who at the age of 35 is still considered one of the best players in the world.
However, the timing of the news leaking out threatens to do more damage to a badly dented World Cup campaign.
It is an unwanted distraction for a team that lost its first three World Cup games and lost experienced fast bowler Dale Steyn for the rest of the tournament through injury. THE International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni to remove an army insignia from his keeping gloves, forcing New Delhi to weigh in after a nationalistic furore in the country.
Dhoni, one of the game’s biggest stars, is an honorary lieutenant colonel in the territorial army and sported its dagger insignia on his gloves during India’s opening match against South Africa in the World Cup. The ICC said its clothing and equipment rules allow only manufacturers’ logos on gloves, and that Dhoni or the Indian team had not sought any permission to sport the badge.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s nationalist government yesterday urged the country’s cricket board (BCCI) to sort out the matter.
“The government does not interfere in matters of sports bodies, they are autonomous,” Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Twitter.