It was May 2018 that South African cricketing legend AB de Villiers shocked the entire cricket industry with news of his international retirement a year before the 2019 ICC World Cup. There was a whole lot of chatter as to why he retired while in the prime of his career. However, he walked away without letting his fans get any sort of farewell or goodbye game.
Today, he’s shocked us all again as the legend and the person fondly called as ‘Mr.360’ has gone on to announce his retirement from all forms of the game, which includes domestic cricket and all franchise leagues across the world. ABD was last seen playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2021 and quite honestly, he had a poor season.
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de Villiers took to his social media to make the announcement just a few minutes ago. “It has been an incredible journey, but I have decided to retire from all cricket. Ever since the back yard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly,” read his post caption.
The post was accompanied with a picture of him saying thank you in English, Afrikaans and Hindi. ABD feels that he no longer has it in him and he went on to explain that on Twitter. “That’s the reality I must accept – and, even if it may seem sudden, that is why I am making this announcement today. I’ve had my time. Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me.”
It has been an incredible journey, but I have decided to retire from all cricket.
Ever since the back yard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly. pic.twitter.com/W1Z41wFeli
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 19, 2021
“Whether playing for the Titans, or the Proteas, or RCB, or around the world, the game has given me unimagined experiences and opportunities, and I will always be grateful. I would like to thank every teammate, every opponent, every coach, every physio and every staff member who has travelled the same path, and I am humbled by the support I have received in South Africa, in India, wherever I have played,” he added.
Talking about his IPL 2021 stint, ABD scored 313 runs in 15 games for RCB this year including two fifties and while these are decent stats, he clearly struggled at the pitch. In fact, not many times did we see the ABD we’re used to seeing over the years. Regardless, cricket will miss AB de Villiers, irrespective of which jersey he played in.
“Last, I am aware that nothing would have been possible without the sacrifices made by my family – my parents, my brothers, my wife Danielle and my children. I look forward to the next chapter of our lives when I can truly put them first,” was how he ended his note on social media. We love ABD and wish the 37-year old the best of luck for the next part of his career!
For more updates on the AB de Villiers retirement, stay tuned to ReadScoops.com…
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