South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis reveals De Villiers called him but it was too late

South African skipper Faf du Plessis has opened up about former captain AB de Villiers' last effort to make into the World Cup 2019 squad, revealing that he got a call from AB requesting his international comeback but it was too late by then.

“It was just a conversation, a phone call the night before the team got announced. It was just a 'this is what I'm feeling' [phone call]. I said to him, 'I think it is too late but I will check in with the coach and the selectors the next morning.' When I spoke to the coach and the selectors, they all agreed that it was way, way too late to change the team on 99.99 per cent," said du Plessis after South Africa's fourth game against West Indies got washed out.

South Africa has not been enjoying the best of World Cup campaign losing three games straight and the fourth game against the West Indies on Monday got washed out. Meanwhile, Du Plessis added that recent turn of events has not affected the ‘friendship’ he shares with de Villiers. "AB and I are still friends. This incident has not changed that. This is a small thing for a friendship that goes so way back."

It was learnt that the former Proteas superstar contacted South Africa coach Ottis Gibson and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis to tell them he was willing to come out of retirement.

But it was agreed that De Villiers, who retired from international cricket last year, had left it too late to be called up because it would not have been fair to other players who had featured against Pakistan and Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup.