Cricket South Africa confirms: AB de Villiers is not coming out of retirement

AB de Villiers is a former South African cricketer who represented Proteas across formats before retiring from international cricket in 2018. He continues to play for Twenty20 league across the globe, including Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

Cricket South Africa has confirmed that former prolific South African batsman AB de Villiers will not be returning to international cricket. He had announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018 but continues to play in various global Twenty20 leagues, including the Indian Premier League, where he represents Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Following his retirement, there have been constant rumours that de Villiers could still make a comeback to the international side. While the first one emerged before the 2019 ICC World Cup in England, the same has been doing rounds since last year, ahead of the 2021 ICC World T20.

South Africa coach Mark Boucher had pondered on the same last month when he had said that de Villiers had a great chance of making a comeback for Proteas ahead of the WT20. However, CSA confirmed the same through a statement on Tuesday while announcing the squads for the upcoming Windies tour.

"Last year, he asked me if I would be interested. And I said, 'absolutely'. And come the end of the IPL, we will have a look at where we are at with regards to my form and my fitness. Also, the situation with his team - he's got to look at his guys who have been performing well over the last while. If there's no space for me, so be it. If I can slot in there, it will be fantastic if all those things fall in place. Waiting for Bouchy towards the end of the IPL, and we will then plan accordingly," de Villiers had said following Boucher's admissions.

Nevertheless, it is no doubt that de Villiers remains one of the finest South African batsmen to date across formats. He has scored around 20,000 international runs while he also captained the side for a brief period before stepping down and eventually retiring. Furthermore, he continues to impress fans in the IPL, where he still remains a top draw for RCB.

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