South Africa’s superstar AB de Villiers retirement from international cricket has shocked the entire cricketing fraternity as he announced his sudden retirement from all forms of international cricket. He posted an emotional video on Twitter in which he made it public that he will not be seen in the Protean colors anymore.
He mentioned that he has represented the nation for so long and claimed that he is tired now. The 34-year-old added that he doesn’t want to choose formats to continue playing for the county and wishes to make way for the new guys.
Here’s what AB de Villiers said about his retirement
“I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect,” de Villiers said on Wednesday (May 23). “After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired,” de Villiers said.
“This is a tough decision, I have thought long and hard about it and I’d like to retire while still playing decent cricket. After the fantastic series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside.
“It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in the green and gold, it must be everything or nothing. I will always be grateful to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years. The most important thank you goes out to all of my teammates throughout my career, I wouldn’t be half the player that I am without the support throughout the years.
“It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it’s about running out of gas and feeling that it is the right time to move on. Everything comes to an end. To the cricket fans around South Africa and the World, thank you for your kindness and generosity, and today, for your understanding.
“I have no plans to play overseas, in fact, I hope I can continue to be available for the Titans in domestic cricket. I will continue to be the biggest supporter of Faf du Plessis and the Proteas,” he concluded.
One of the best of the modern era
There is absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that AB de Villiers is one of the best cricketers of the current generation. With his extraordinary batting skills, he made fans all over the world drop their jaws and earned the name of Mr. 360 degrees. Not just with the bat, but he did some unimaginable things on the field.
Since his early days in international cricket, he was highly impactful. He was a prominent member of the South African side across all 3 formats. The right-hander captained the side in all formats and also led them in the 2015 ODI World Cup.
AB de Villiers retirement is shocking for Indians too
He is one of those overseas cricketers who is highly loved in India. Because of his long-lasting presence in the Indian Premier League, he became the crowd-favorite. Even in the ongoing season of 2018, he played a few of his trademark knocks and showed no signs of aging. But he decided to move on when he is in his prime and the cricketing fraternity is left wanting for more.
I’ve made a big decision today pic.twitter.com/In0jyquPOK
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 23, 2018
Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
