Nothing wrong in AB de Villiers being left out of the South African World Cup squad
When he hung up his boots from international cricket last year, the fraternity was up in arms, urging him to reconsider his decision. After all, he had been instrumental in South Africa's triumph over India and their maiden Test series win over Australia at home, albeit in a different format.
And the World Cup was only a little more than a year away, so the stage was set. Remember how long it took Leonardo de Caprio to get his hands on an Oscar?
Moving forward, after South Africa lost all the three games of the tournament, it seemed like de Villiers’ absence had been the difference. And just when you thought South Africa cricket couldn't be deeper in the mire, the news of him approaching the team management for his inclusion in the World Cup squad a day before it was announced has naturally incensed fans.
The question is – Was the team management right in leaving out de Villiers?
I'll be honest, the answer's not entirely definite, there are grey areas but it's important to understand a fundamental rule that cricket teams often ignore: the whole is greater than a part, no matter how crucial. It's a game of XI and one individual's interest cannot or rather should not supersede that of the collective. And South Africa, in this case, have put the team's interest first.
Truth be told, he could have been more effective than many players in the current line-up but after a year of international wilderness, would he have been the same match winner you break someone else's dream for? Would it have been a progressive move on part of Cricket South Africa, who have suffered an exodus of talent to Kolpak deals?
Besides, while de Villiers got enough runs in the IPL, against quality pace and spin that he would see a lot more of at international level, he looked a shadow of his former self that had the world at its feet.
For instance, Jasprit Bumrah troubled him big time reducing a former great to a puny dwarf (forgive me) on numerous occasions with sheer pace.
It’s nothing abnormal, though, and something that's bound to happen to someone, who hasn’t played international cricket for a year.
The counter-argument to this could be the inclusion of Jofra Archer in the England side and Chris Gayle’s presence in the West Indies squad. Go back in time and Sachin Tendulkar picked and chose his battles ahead of the 2011 victorious campaign.
But consider this: In de Villiers’ absence, other players have sweated hard to earn a spot in the line-up, and had he been included, that would have been at the cost of a player who has done everything right to earn a spot in the line-up. Rassie van der dussen, for example, has struck five fifties in his first 12 ODIs. In his first 12 matches, de Villiers didn't have a single fifty. Imagine the agony, had van der Dussen been left out!
Drafting in a player out of the blue would have created a sense of deep insecurity among the players regarding their position in the cricket set-up, particularly those sweating it out day in and out domestically. What's their incentive, after all?
De Villiers has been selfish and confused, willing to commit one moment, backtracking another and like a kid reacts to his favourite toy that he'd thrown away being picked up by someone else, plain juvenile. The lack of clarity itself justifies his exclusion from a high profile tournament, in a high profile cricket team, that has set a precedent that may well be applauded in years to come.
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