I lost all respect for my captain, he blocked my selection: Khaya Zondo slams AB de Villiers
After Thami Tsolekile, another South African cricketer has lashed out at AB de Villiers for his approach during his days as an international player.
Khaya Zondo, an aggressive middle-order batsman, recalled how the-then South African skipper De Villiers blocked his inclusion in the playing XI during the Proteas' ODI series against India in 2015.
Zondo was set to make his debut in the ODI series against India after JP Duminy's injury in the third game. However, the South African management decided to rope in Dean Elgar as a replacement for Duminy. Elgar, who was not even in the original squad, played the last two matches of the series.
As per reports, the team management had picked Khaya Zondo in the playing XI for the final ODI, but skipper AB de Villiers threatened to walk out of the tour if Khaya played.
Zondo revealed all details of his conversations with De Villiers during that period in his prepared submission to the Transformation Ombudsman, Adv. Dumisa Ntsebeza.
“The captain (AB de Villiers) called me over to the side, away from the rest of the team and mentioned to me he was the one who felt I should not play. He was trying to explain himself and he was taking full responsibility for the decision,” Zondo said during the Social Justice and Nation-Building (SJN) Hearings.
I looked up to AB de Villiers as a cricketing hero: Khaya Zondo
Khaya Zondo, who finally made his ODI debut in 2018, added that he lost all respect he had for his hero AB de Villiers after he blocked his selection.
“I remember in the moment of him explaining himself to me, losing all respect for him as a captain, and as someone I looked up to as a cricketing hero of mine because I could not believe this guy was trying to justify himself to me, and it came across as if I should accept this decision because the decision came from him," Zondo continued.
Khaya Zondo concluded by saying he detached himself from the squad after his conversation with AB de Villiers because he understood his services were not required. He labeled the phase of watching other South African cricketers get opportunities ahead of him as the 'hardest part' of his life.