In what comes as a huge shock to the cricketing fraternity, AB de Villiers has decided to call it quits from international cricket with immediate effect.
The game will never be the same without the presence of de Villiers. He has been a champion cricketer over the years for South Africa, and his absence will leave a huge void in the middle-order for the Proteas. The chances of South Africa has also gone down considerably for the 2019 World Cup.
De Villiers is regarded as one of the best batsmen of the modern generation. He is among those very few players who can execute shots all around the wickets. Mr 360 holds the record for fastest fifty, fastest century and fastest 150 in ODI cricket. Meanwhile, the news was made public by de Villiers on his official app.
“This is the high-performance centre in Pretoria where 14 seasons ago I arrived as a nervous youngster when I was first called into the Proteas squad. Today at the same place, I want to let you know that I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect. After 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is, it is time for others to take over.
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“I have had my turn and to be honest, I am tired. This is a tough decision, I thought long and hard about it, and I would like to retire while still playing decent cricket. After the fantastic series against India and Australia, now feels the right time to step aside. It would not be right for me to pick and choose where and when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in green and gold, it must be everything or nothing.”
De Villiers expresses his gratitude to teammates, coaches and Cricket South Africa
“I will always be grateful to my teammates, the coaches and the staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years. It is not about earning more somewhere else; it is about running out of gas and feeling it is time to move on.”
“Everything comes to an end and to cricket fans in South Africa and around the world, thank you very much for your kindness, generosity and 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,” de Villiers said at the retirement address.
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