South African batting legend AB de Villiers has announced his immediate retirement from international cricket just days after completing his IPL assignment with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
De Villiers returned to Test cricket earlier in the year after giving the format a skip for two seasons and starred in series wins over India and Australia. That, it seems, will be it at the highest level for De Villiers who took to social media on Wednesday to announce his retirement.
“I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect,” De Villiers said in the video. “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.
“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’ve made a big decision today pic.twitter.com/In0jyquPOK
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 23, 2018
The decision means De Villiers, who had earlier been targeting glory at the 2019 World Cup, will not be participating in the tournament in England.
South Africa had been fretting over De Villiers’ drive for a long time as he had taken multiple breaks from national duty over the past few seasons.
De Villiers retires as one of the finest all-formats batsmen of all time. His 8,765 runs in Tests and 9,577 runs in ODIs have been accumulated using a breathtaking 360 degree technique.
