There is a burning desire to play for South Africa again and make a difference, admits AB de Villiers

After the Test series versus Australia in 2018, which the Proteas won 3-1, AB de Villiers shocked the world by announcing his retirement from international cricket at just the age of 34. It was a decision that did not go down too well with a major chunk of South African supporters, for the prodigal right-hander continued to play franchise T20 cricket despite international retirement, but over the course of the last 10 months, the 36-year-old has expressed his desire to make a comeback to the Proteas. 

The new head coach of South Africa, Mark Boucher, too, revealed that de Villiers would be a welcome addition, and both parties previously stated that they looked at the World T20 as a potential platform for Mr.360 to make his comeback.

Despite the tournament’s future currently in limbo, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, speaking to Harsha Bhogle, de Villiers revealed that he is extremely keen to return to the South African side and added that there is a burning desire within him which wants to make a difference to the national side. 

"I'll never get rid of the competitive edge (to win matches for South Africa). I've had to work really hard to be a part of the Proteas setup throughout my career - which I'm very proud of. That fire will never go away, I want the guys to do well, and if I could be a part of it, it would be fantastic," de Villiers told Harsha Bhogle in a Cricbuzz chat show.

“This lockdown didn't come at a great time, I was interested and very keen to be a part of the national team setup, even if it was just working with the guys. I'm very open to anything. The fire is there to make a difference to the guys and it's always been there.”

Now 34 years old, de Villiers is not agile and fit as he once was, and the veteran right-hander revealed that he just wanted to get back to the field - and perhaps even play the IPL - to get his juices flowing. While de Villiers expressed his desire to make a comeback, he did, however, admit that he will reassess the situation once normalcy resumes, given he will have to take a lot of things into account - including how his own body holds up.

"But I've to assess my situation every single day and see where I'm at. I just want to get back to a cricket field. Hopefully the IPL happens this year. I just want to get going, after which I will reassess and I will have a look at where I'm at - with regards to my body, family and hunger, all of these things play a big role."

“I don't know where I'm gonna be in six months time, but hopefully everything works out and I get the opportunity to contribute to whichever team I play for."