ICC World Cup 2019 | Don't regret not picking AB de Villiers, states Linda Zondi
CSA official Linda Zondi has revealed that he is at peace with his decision to exclude AB de Villiers from the squad as it would have been against the cricketing body’s principles. He narrated exactly how things unfolded and said that the players who made it to the final squad deserve to be there.
In a surprising revelation by Cricinfo, it was reported that AB de Villiers had made himself available for selection for the World Cup following the country’s poor performances in the lead up to the mega event. But the board had decided not to go with the experienced star for the 2019 edition of the Cup. In a recent media release, CSA National Selection Panel convenor Linda Zondi confirmed the reports but said that with the way things had gone down, he was satisfied with his decision to not include the batsman in the World Cup squad.
"I pleaded with AB de Villiers not to retire in 2018. Although there was a perception that he was picking and choosing when to play - which was not true - I did give him the option to plan and monitor his season to get him to the World Cup fresh and in a good space. We made it clear that he would have to play during the home tours against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to be considered for selection, instead he signed to play in the Pakistan and Bangladesh Premier Leagues respectively. He turned down the offer and said he was at peace with his decision to retire," Zondi explained in a statement that is bound to brew up controversy.
It was upto Zondi, Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis, and head coach Ottis Gibson to pick the final 15 players who would represent the country in England. Zondi stated that he was the only one who did not want to include AB in the squad since it would have been unfair on the part of the players who had worked hard across the year to earn their spot in the squad.
“For Faf du Plessis and Ottis Gibson to share AB's desire to be included in the squad on the day we announced our World Cup squad on April 18th was a shock to all of us. AB left a big vacuum when he retired, we had a year to find players at franchise level to fill the gap. We had players who put in the hard work, who put up their hands and deserved to be given the opportunity to go to the World Cup. The decision was based on principle; we had to be fair to the team, the selection panel, our franchise system and players,” Zondi was quoted saying.
However, they ended up going ahead with Zondi’s decision since it was in line with the moral standards the team has set for themselves, regardless of AB being one of the all time greats.
"At no point in the year that he had retired did he make himself available for selection. It was no option when I received the news on the day of the squad announcement, our squad was finalised and confirmed. AB is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but above all else, we have to stay true to our morals and principles, there is no regret in the decision," Zondi concluded.
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