Former Proteas captain AB de Villiers has expressed his astonishment over the exclusion of Faf du Plessis from South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to be held in the United States and the Caribbean. Speaking on his 360 Show on YouTube, de Villiers highlighted du Plessis’ recent performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL) where he captains the Royal Challengers Bangalore, suggesting that his experience and form could have warranted inclusion.
“No Faf du Plessis – that’s a big surprise to me. I honestly thought with his experience and the way he is playing, there’s one more World Cup in it for him,” said de Villiers.
Faf du Plessis, who last played for South Africa in a T20 international in 2021, has not retired from T20I cricket and had been hopeful of a return for the 2024 ICC T20 Men’s World Cup. Despite his strong performances in the IPL, the selectors opted not to include the veteran batsman.
In a surprising move, wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock was named in the squad. De Kock, who has retired from Test and ODI cricket and is not contracted by Cricket South Africa, has been underperforming in the IPL this season with the Lucknow Super Giants, managing just 236 runs at an average of 26.22. Despite this, de Villiers voiced his support for de Kock’s inclusion, recognizing his potential impact on the game.
“Quinton makes it which is a bit of a surprise, but we know what he is capable of. I am very happy to see him there,” added de Villiers. “I was not sure if the selectors would take the chance with some of the guys that don’t really play international cricket anymore.”
The T20 World Cup promises to be an exciting event, with South Africa placed in Group D alongside Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Netherlands, and Nepal. Although the Proteas have never clinched the T20 World Cup title, having been semi-finalists in 2009 and 2014, de Villiers remains optimistic about the team’s prospects in the upcoming tournament.
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