South African cricketing genius AB de Villiers had made a last-ditch effort to come out of his International retirement for this year's ICC World Cup 2019.
World Cup 2019: South African cricketing genius AB de Villiers had made a last-ditch effort to come out of his International retirement for this year's ICC World Cup 2019.
However, the team management turned him down saying that de Villiers' decision to come out retirement for the World Cup had come 24 hours before they were due to announce the squad. Calling him back would be unfair towards the current players who had been training together for the past year or so for the World Cup.
Talking about the situation, former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar called out de Villiers decision as a 'gimmick'.
In a video uploaded by Akhtar on his YouTube channel, he expressed his disappointment with de Villiers’ decision on choosing Pakistan Super League (PSL) and Indian Premier League (IPL) matches over the World Cup.
“Firstly, people must not forget that there was pressure on AB De Villiers to leave IPL and PSL contracts and make himself available for the World Cup. However, he chose the IPL and PSL, announced an early retirement and recused himself from the World Cup.
“So basically everything started with finance. I think when he took this decision, he did it looking at his finances and economics.”
Akhtar also questioned the timing of De Villiers’ recent statement. He said, “Now, this statement of wanting to play for South Africa a month before the World Cup is just a gimmick and it is just about clearing his name. He made a bad move by retiring early and secondly when you retired then stick to your decision now.
“South Africa was in poor form even when he had announced his retirement a year before the World Cup. But I think he should have remembered (at that point) that his country needs him. The money will come today or tomorrow but you heed the call of making money and ignore the World Cup.
“I don’t mind people making money but do it in the right way. If you indeed have to make money then pick and choose correctly but keep your country as the priority,” Akhtar said in the video.
He went on to speak about the South African management's decision. He said, "Now to clear your name you made a last-ditch offer to come out of international retirement for this summer’s World Cup. But I think the management was correct in their stand. You wanted to loot the whole mela and become breaking news by coming out into the team but that is not right."
Akhtar said that ABD has let the people of South Africa down and now should stick to his retirement decision. “Forget about your country. Now your country is down and out because of you. Had you been there in the middle-order for South Africa then maybe they would not have performed so badly in the World Cup and who knows they could have also scripted a turnaround.”
Akhtar concluded the video saying, “It’s very sad that you have chosen money over your country”.
Amidst the controvery, AB de Villiers had tweeted his support for the South Africa cricket team after they lost all three of the matches so far in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
"All that’s important is that we should all focus on supporting the team at the World Cup. There is a long way to go and I believe the boys can still go all the way"
South Africa now face West Indies on 10 June.
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 "Shoaib Akhtar and AB De Villiers")
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