AB de Villiers already in talks over South Africa return

Captain Faf du Plessis insists he wants the 35-year-old back in the fold in time for the T20 World Cup in 2020

AB de Villiers' return to international cricket is seemingly edging closer with talks already underway regarding the resumption of his South Africa career;

The 35-year-old ended his Proteas career in May 2018 but continues to play in franchise competitions around the world.

De Villiers offered to U-turn on his retirement for the 50-over World Cup but the proposal was rejected by Cricket South Africa.

New coach Mark Boucher admitted he wants his "best players" available to him for the T20 tournament in Australia next year and pledged to speak with De Villiers about a return.

But Du Plessis, who has captained the Paarl Rocks to victory over De Villiers' Tshwane Spartans in the Mzansi Super League final, says those talks are already underway.

"People want AB to play and I am no different," he said. "Those conversations have been happening for two or three months already: what does it look like, how does it look over the next year, and that's where it starts."

"T20 cricket is a different beast, it's not a lot of time away from home. If you are a full campaigner, you have to really get stuck in and spend a lot of time on the road.

"I might have conversations": New South Africa coach Mark Boucher open to AB De Villiers return

"Test cricket now is the most important thing but also the T20 World Cup is not too far away and there isn't a lot - I reckon 20 T20s over the season - which won't be that hard on one to do that. 

"Those conversations have already taken place and will continue to before the next T20 series starts."

South Africa are scheduled to play at least 18 T20s between now and the World Cup, starting against England in the New Year.

Should De Villiers earn an international recall, it would be the latest seismic change to the landscape of South African cricket.

Behind the scenes, Jacques Faul has been appointed acting chief executive, with former captain Graeme Smith enlisted as interim director of cricket.

Boucher has since been installed as head coach following the departure of Ottis Gibson in August.

Subscribe to The Cricketer this Christmas and receive a £20 John Lewis voucher or Alastair Cook’s autobiography. Claim your free gift here

Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on everything England - including leading coverage of England in India, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.