South African legendary cricketer AB de Villiers has announced his retirement from cricket. De Villiers will also not participate in IPL 2022. Mr. 360 degree i.e. de Villiers, who won the hearts of the fans with his fast batting, retired from international cricket in the year 2018. Although after that he was participating in T20 leagues around the world. In the IPL, he was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, captained by Virat Kohli.
On his retirement, Royal Challengers Bangalore tweeted,
"End of an era! There is no one like you, AB… we will miss you a lot in
RCB. Thank you AB for all you have given to the team, fans and cricket lovers
in general… Happy retirement, legend!”
AB de Villiers said, “It has been an incredible journey, but
I have decided to retire from all cricket. Ever since I started playing cricket
in the backyard of my elder brothers, I have played this game with full joy and
enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame doesn't burn that fast
anymore."
He said, “This is the reality, which I must accept… and, even
though it may seem sudden, that is why I am making this announcement today. I
have my time. Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. I want to thank every
teammate, every opponent, every coach, every physio and every staff member who
has traveled with me on the same path, and brought me to South Africa, in
India, wherever I have played, I am humbled by the support I have
received."
He continued, “In the end, I know that nothing would have
been possible without the sacrifices of my parents, my brother, my wife
Danielle and my children. I look forward to the next chapter of my life when I
can really have them in the first place."
AB de Villiers' career is unmatched
After making his international debut in 2004, AB de Villiers
represented South Africa in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals. In
all formats, he scored 20014 runs at an average of over 50 in both Tests and
ODIs. In international cricket, 47 centuries were scored with his bat. De
Villiers is the fastest player to score 50, 100 and 150 runs in ODI cricket. He
retired from international cricket in May 2018.
South Africa, led by AB de Villiers, made it to the
semi-finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia, but lost to New
Zealand in a thrilling match. His T20 career has also been successful. He
played 340 matches and scored 9424 runs at a strike rate of 150.13.
37-year-old AB de Villiers is one of the most successful
batsmen of IPL. AB scored 5162 runs in 184 IPL matches at an average of 39.70
which included three centuries and 40 half-centuries. In the first phase of IPL
2021, he scored 207 runs in 6 innings at an average of 51.75. However, AB could
not leave any impact in the second leg played in UAE.
