At times things are served beyond coincidence, on May 23, 2018, the world-class top-order batsman AB de Villiers has announced retirement from international cricket. However, his untimely announcement has baffled his fans who took to social media to discuss the call. Well, many believed it’s appalling from the Mr 360-degree man who they think had enough years to play for the South African national team.
Well, before hanging his boots, de Villiers has played a quintessential role for the Proteas while helping them to win the Test series against Australia and India.
Known for playing all around the dial, de Villiers has been an inspiration for many youngsters.
In between, the critics have scathed de Villiers for his preference of the domestic professional leagues. Interestingly, following his retirement call, de Villiers has featured in the fourth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
AB de Villiers sets focus on the domestic fold:
Also, he has made his appearance in the recently-held twelfth edition of the Indian Premier League (PSL) where he played outstanding cricket. He managed to score 442 runs in 13 innings which further included five half-centuries.
Surprisingly, ahead of the World Cup, de Villiers has amassed 480 runs in 12 innings. He scored runs at an outstanding average of 53.33 which further saw him slamming six fifties.
The 35-year-old de Villiers has graced the gentleman’s game. And, he has often entertained his die-hard fans with his aggressive brand of cricket. Known for his belligerent hitting while producing scintillating shots de Villiers had made things pretty easy when he walked in the middle.
The Proteas batting prowess:
De Villiers averaged over 50 in Tests and ODIs which further saw him scoring 20,000-plus runs across formats.
The condition he set for his return in the 2023 World Cup:
The batting giant de Villiers is keen to witness Proteas progress well in the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019.
However, in his recent interview with Gaurav Kapur on ‘Breakfast with Champions’ de Villiers riotously maintained he would return to the fold while setting an implausible condition. Interestingly, he knows it himself.
When Kapur asked him if he is mulling to return to the international cricket while referring to the 2023 World Cup, to which de Villiers had a defiant response. De Villiers maintained he will return only if MS Dhoni would be still playing for his country.
Here’s a snippet of the video:
https://twitter.com/mufaddal_vohra/status/1129317701564944384
