World Cup 2019: 3 reasons for South Africa’s disastrous campaign so far

#2 The AB conundrum

2018 Australia Tour to SA: South Africa Training Session and Press Conference

South Africa’s star batsman AB de Villiers retired one year before the World Cup. That came as a shock for many cricket fans across the globe, especially considering how the Rainbow Nation have suffered heartbreaks in ICC tournaments in the past.

While the World Cup was on, there were reports leaked in the media that the right-hander was ready to take back his retirement and be available for the multi-nation tournament to be held in England and Wales. But the selection committee took a stand of not including the star batsman, as it could have set a bad precedent and also been unfair on other players who had put their hands up for the previous one year.

When asked about the incident, both SA captain Faf du Plessis and coach Ottis Gibson agreed on the confusion before the squad was announced. These types of incidents in the middle of such a huge tournament can derail a team, and that's exactly what has happened to South Africa.