AB de Villiers, the South African legend, has confirmed that he will return to competitive cricket after a gap of four years. De Villiers, who retired from international cricket in 2018, last played a cricket game in 2021 in the Indian Premier League.
Since then, despite multiple rumors, AB de Villiers remained steadfast about keeping away from the game as there was no motivation for him to play the sport anymore.
AB de Villiers recently opened up about his comeback ambitions, giving a sincere reason for his decision. Mr. 360 has disclosed that his young children have been encouraging him to pick up the bat again. However, he will return to casual cricket and not competitions like the IPL.
AB de Villiers also revealed that his left eye isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but his dominant right eye is sharp enough for him to give it a shot.
“I might still play cricket one day. No confirmation whatsoever, but I’m starting to feel it. My kids are putting me under a bit of pressure, and I feel like I could go to the nets with them. If I enjoy it, maybe I’ll walk out and go and play a little bit of casual cricket somewhere again and not professional IPL stuff or SA tours,” he had said in an interview.
“Who knows? But we’ll see. I’m going to try it again and see if this eye is still working. It’s a bit blurry, but this (the right one) is the dominant one, and it’s working fine. So, I’m doing it for my kids and see if I can go out there and enjoy cricket again,” he added.
Notably, he represented South Africa in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is.
AB de Villiers to captain Game Changers South Africa Champions in WCL 2025
As per his promise, South Africa’s AB de Villiers will return to cricketing action in the World Championship of Legends (WCL). He will captain the Game Changers South Africa Champions in the second edition of the WCL.
The return of de Villiers, known for his unrivaled versatility and courageous batting, has sparked excitement within the cricketing community. The Game Changers group, which had stars like Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Dale Steyn, and Imran Tahir in its initial season, now has an even better future under de Villiers’ leadership.
“Four years ago, I retired from all cricket because I just didn’t feel the urge to play anymore. Well, time has passed, and my young sons have started playing the game. We’ve been playing more and more often in the garden, and, well, it feels as though some kind of flame has been lit again. So I am heading back to the gym and the nets, and I’ll be ready for WCL in July,” De Villiers said announcing his return to cricket.
It’s official. I will be playing for the South African team @WCLSAChampions in the upcoming @WclLeague 2025! 🌟
Mark your calendars: the tournament runs from 18th July to 2nd August.
Can’t wait to renew rivalry with so many legends from five other countries. I’m heading to the… pic.twitter.com/4GnUwdP8LB
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 28, 2025
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