If he wanted to be here, he would be here, says Coach Gibson on AB de Villiers
Jun 10, 2019 at 12:50 PM
South Africa coach Ottis Gibson didn’t mince any words while speaking to the media in Southampton on Saturday. He wasn’t too pleased about the whole AB de Villiers fiasco and wants the focus to be on cricket. The Proteas have lost three games on the trot and are now facing the threat of an early exit from the ICC World Cup 2019.
According to Gibson, had de Villiers wanted to play for the national side, he would have been a part of the squad now. “If he wanted to be here he would be here.”he said. On countering multiple questions about the former South African cricketer, Gibson went on to say “Are we going to talk about this all the time? Or are we going to prepare for the West Indies game.” He also said: “Feels like its a court case here.”
Coach Gibson on CSA’s stand on AB de Villiers
It was earlier reported that de Villiers approached the management and offered to come out of retirement to play the global event, just hours before the squad was announced. CSA though, turned down the proposal as the cricketer didn’t fulfill the criteria for selection. The organization also felt that it would be unfair on the other players to bite the dust and make way for the veteran. De Villiers retired from international cricket in May, 2018. He has cited tiredness as of the main reasons.
Gibson also added that the team is prepared to handle such controversy as they had sensed a possibility of such scenario brewing during the tournament. Faf du Plessis‘ side will take on Windies next. And the coach said the recent fiasco will not affect the team as they look to keep their head above water. “I don’t imagine it is going to affect the way that we play cricket, [but] we haven’t played very well so far and it is disappointing.” he said.