Former South African cricket captain, AB de Villiers has decided to retire from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. He says he has lost his hunger for the game, bringing to an end a 17-year career where he established himself as one of the greats in the sport.
De Villiers was still involved in franchise cricket, last playing in the Indian Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who described his retirement as the “end of an era” after a decade with the south Indian side.
AB de Villiers had retired from all international formats in May 2018. However, there were talks about his return to the limited-overs side for the T20 World Cup before he decided against playing for the Proteas again.
De Villiers said he played the game with pure enjoyment and unconstrained enthusiasm. But the 37-year-old said that the flame no longer burns so brightly, hence the decision to put away his bat, gloves and pads. There’s no doubt that he was a marvel to watch as an explosive and entertaining batsman who also kept wicket. De Villiers has often been referred to as “Mr 360” for his wide range of shots that found all corners of the boundary.
Regarded as one of the best batsmen to have played the game, De Villiers played in 114 test matches for South Africa and retired with a batting average of more than 50. In his 228 One Day Internationals, he averaged more than 53 runs per inning.
He holds the record for the fastest ODI century, reaching triple figures off just 31 deliveries in a knock of 149 against the West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015, smashing 16 sixes and nine boundaries. He represented the Titans in domestic cricket, and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, where he had a huge following.
“I’m finished with all formats and all cricket round. I feel I’m making the right decision but obviously, deep in my heart, I’m incredibly sad. There are a lot of emotions playing in my mind. Things happened very quickly in the past month or so. It’s been in my mind for quite a bit. I finally made the decision that it’s time for me to really truthfully prioritise family time, to be the real best version of myself here at home,” says De Villiers.
De Villiers retires with over 20 000 runs to his name in Tests, one-day internationals and T20s for South Africa.
