Proteas boosted by de Villiers' return for T20 series-decider

South Africa stand-in skipper Farhaan Behardien has revealed that his side have received a major boost with the return of AB de Villiers to the national team for the third and the final series-deciding T20 International against Sri Lanka at Newlands on Wednesday.

The former captain De Villiers made his last appearance for South Africa during the tri-nation series clash against West Indies in Bridgetown in June last year following which an elbow injury has restricted his availability.

Ecstatic with de Villiers' return, Behardien said that the 32-year-old's experience and skill would be invaluable for the crucial must-win match.

"I think AB comes into the selection for tomorrow, we just have to have a look at that pitch again for tomorrow, we are going to finalise the team a bit later," Sport24 quoted Behardien as saying.

Describing de Villiers as 'one of the best T20 players in the world', the stand-in skipper emphasized that the former is keen to make a comeback and is hungry to score runs after six-month injury lay-off.

"He (De Villiers) is one of the best," he added. "He is one of the best T20 players in the world, best batters in the world, not just for T20, but ODIs and Tests. He has been out for such a long time, he came back in his warm-up game with 130 not out, he is quite keen to be back and he is quite hungry for cricket after about six months off, it is unbelievable to have him back," he added.

The three-match series is currently levelled at 1-1 following Sri Lanka's three-wicket win over South Africa in the second T20 at Wanderers Stadium.