CAPE TOWN: The South African right-handed explosive middle-order batter AB De Villiers has announced his retirement in a Twitter thread from all forms of cricket here on Friday.
His retirement marks the end of what has been a fantastic T20 batting career. De Villiers had retired from international cricket back in 2018 just one year prior to the World Cup 2019, with the critics lambasting him for ‘being selfish’ and ‘playing for money’.
He said he ‘played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm’ but time had come for him to hang up his boots because ‘that flame no longer burns so brightly’.
He has scored over 9,000 runs in T20 cricket at an average of 37.24 with a strike rate of 150.13. He is regarded as one of the all-time great T20 batters.
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