Former captain AB de Villiers has hailed the positive influence of new Proteas head coach Mark Boucher.

De Villiers played under Tshwane Spartans coach Boucher during the 2018 and 2019 Mzansi Super League.

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‘I could write a book on Boucher’s impact just on my life, never mind cricket. I rediscovered that when I played under him at the Spartans in the Mzansi Super League in December. He was born to be an instructor. When he talks there’s respect,’ De Villiers told Rapport.

De Villiers retired from Test, ODI and T20I cricket in 2018. In 2019, he suggested coming out of international retirement to compete for a berth in South Africa’s squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

‘I am uncertain about giving a definite answer because I have been very hurt and burned in the past. Then people will again think I have turned my back on our country. I can’t just walk into the team. Like every other player, I have to work for my place and deserve it,’ he added.

Whether the 2020 T20 World Cup goes ahead as scheduled remains in the balance. The tournament, like other cricket around the world, might be postponed as a preventative measure against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

‘I can’t see six months into the future. If the tournament is postponed to next year a whole lot of things will change. At the moment I feel available, but at the same time I don’t know how my body will see it and if I will be healthy at that time,’ concluded De Villiers.

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