AB de Villers retires from international Cricket

AB de Villers, a former South African captain and an incredible batsman has retired from all forms of international cricket. His retirement was announced via twitter when the cricketer posted a video along with the caption “I have made a big decision today”. https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17/status/999247658995810304 In the video attached he states that it was in Pretoria, 14 seasons ago, he arrived on the cricketing scene and now at the same place, he has decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect. "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." - AB de Villiers He further stated that this was a tough decision he took and he thought long and hard about it and would like to retire while still playing decent cricket. He added that he will always be grateful to his teammates, the coaches and the staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years. He said 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.” - AB de Villiers ABD, as he known in the world, debuted for South Africa in December 2004, appeared in 114 Test matches scoring 8765 runs at an average of 50.66. He has 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries to his name in cricket's longest format. Furthermore, he was a force to reckon with in the shorter formats as he amassed 9577 runs at an average of 53.50 with 25 centuries and 53 half-centuries under his belt. He has also scored 1672 runs in 78 T20 international matches. He captained South Africa to the semi-finals of the 2015 ICC World Cup, where he scored 482 runs at an average of 96. AB de Villiers was known as a '360-degree' batsman who could play shots in all directions and his attacking batting style has often been compared to that of Sir Viv Richards'.