"If you can guarantee me my 4 overs" - AB de Villiers hilariously reacts to Dan Christian's demand for 'Covid free' players for BBL final
AB de Villiers gave a hilarious tongue-in-cheek response to Dan Christian's viral call for "Covid free" players to join the Sydney Sixers squad ahead of the Big Bash League 2021-22 final. The former South African cricketer said he's 'keen' to join the team if Christian allows him to bowl four overs in the match.
The Sixers are among the most COVID-affected teams in the BBL. While three of their players – Josh Philippe and Jack and Mickey Edwards - are currently in isolation after testing positive, their captain Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Steven O'Keefe, and Jordan Silk are all doubtful for the summit clash due to injuries.
Taking a lighter note of the situation, Christian on Thursday put out a tweet calling for all non-Test cricketers in Melbourne to join the team warmup, even promising a "free beer out of a large cup," apparently suggesting that the Sixers will win the final.
Here's his tweet:
Shout out to anyone* in Melbourne that wants a game of cricket tomorrow night. My team is struggling to get 11 covid free, fit players on the park. Warm up starts at 6.30pm at Marvel Stadium.
Free beer afterwards, potentially out of a large cup.
DM if keen
*no test cricketers
AB de Villiers, who has played with him at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, replied:
@danchristian54 I’m keen if u can guarantee me my 4 overs?
England pacer Jofra Archer, who is currently recovering from an elbow injury, also joined the fun, asking if he'll have to pay a subscription fee to get in. Here's his reply:
@danchristian54 @CaJBoyce Do I have to pay subs?
Some fans also considered Christian's reference to "no Test cricketers" a light dig at Cricket Australia (CA) after they disallowed Steve Smith from joining the team.
Smith wasn't a part of the Sixers' pool before the season due to national commitments but got found a window after Australia's limited-overs series against New Zealand got canceled. But CA cited a recently-placed rule regarding replacement players for squads hit by Covid-related withdrawals to bar him from getting a chance.
Dan Christian's Sydney Sixers reach final in dramatic fashion
It was the latest of call-ups for Sixers assistant turned keeper-batter Jay Lenton, who then found himself out in the middle in unusual circumstances for the final ball of last night's #BBL11 thriller https://t.co/hmlx87MbUU
The Sixers reached the BBL final by dramatically defeating the Adelaide Strikers on the final ball on Wednesday. The situation in their camp is so dire that they had to play assistant coach Jay Lenton as the wicketkeeper to get a playing XI on the field.
They will now play the final against Mitchell Marsh's Perth Scorchers on Friday, starting at 2:10 pm IST.