Water under the bridge as Proteas welcome back 'fiery' Rilee after six-year divorce

A more rugged and wiser Rilee Rossouw is the ideal type of player the Proteas' T20 team needs ahead of their three-match series against England, almost six years after he controversially put his international career on hold to take up a Kolpak contract with Hampshire.

Stand-in skipper David Miller was indeed effusive in his praise of the gifted 32-year-old left-hander, who joins on the back of a remarkable English T20 Blast campaign with Somerset, where he smashed 623 runs at a strike rate of 192.

"It's great to have him back, I started my career with Rilee. We welcome him all the way and we're right behind him," he said on Tuesday, ahead of the opener in Bristol on Wednesday.

"He's played in different leagues all around the world and has immense experience. It's nice to have him in these conditions. He's going to be a great asset and we're hoping he has a cracking series."

READ | 50-overs 'extinction' talk: why it’s concerning for SA

While the national selectors have shown a laudable willingness to include ex-Kolpaks back into the Proteas setup, Rossouw's recall is particularly notable for the fact that his initial departure proved highly divisive.

Back in January 2017, then national coach Russell Domingo said he was "bitterly disappointed" with the players' decision, especially the manner in which Rossouw informed him.

"When he sent the e-mail, he spelled my name wrong for starters. He forgot the second 'l'. That's where we are," Domingo, nowadays Bangladesh's head coach, said at the time.

"This is the guy we thought would come closest to emulating AB [de Villiers'] batting in one-day cricket. We've always backed him."

Former Cricket South Africa chief Haroon Lorgat had also stated that there was "no return on investment" on