Open to having talks with AB de Villiers regarding South Africa return, reveals Mark Boucher

One of the biggest talking points prior to the 2019 World Cup was the potential return of one of their superstar cricketers AB de Villiers, who had quit international cricket in early 2018 to focus on playing franchise cricket. Mid-way through the tournament, there were reports that emerged that it was indeed South Africa who said ‘No’ to de Villiers after the latter reached out to them, but since the incident, there have been several contradicting reports that have supported either side of the story. 

Boucher also said that if need be, he would be ready to reconcile with both the media and players for the greater good of the country heading into the WT20 next year.

Over the course of the last couple of years, several exceptionally talented South African cricketers - Kyle Abbot, Duanne Olivier, Simon Harmer, Rilee Roussouw - have opted for Kolpak deals and effectively ended their international careers. The current system does not allow the board to pick players who have pledged their loyalties to English counties, but Boucher is open to the idea of having the option to call-up Kolpak-contracted players to the national team.

"If I can answer from a coach's perspective, absolutely. If you look at rugby, the way the Springboks won the World Cup, the experience they got from players playing overseas was invaluable," Boucher said.