Calcutta: Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has retired from all forms of international cricket, via a sudden announcement, four days after completing another IPL season with Royal Challengers Bangalore.
De Villiers, 34, made his announced public via a video, in which he said, “I am tired”.
One of international cricket’s greatest batsmen De Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 one-day Internationals and 78 T20 Internationals.
The 34-year-old says “the time is right” to hang up his boots, bringing a close to a sterling 14-year career.
“I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect,” he said on Wednesday. “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,” De Villiers said.
“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 will always be grateful to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years.
The most important thank you goes out to all of my teammates throughout my career, I wouldn’t be half the player that I am without the support throughout the years.
“It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it’s about running out of gas and feeling that it is the right time to move on. Everything comes to an end. To the cricket fans around South Africa and the world, thank you for your kindness and generosity, and today, for 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.”
His records and statistics are a true measure of the skill and brilliance he brought to the crease.
He holds a phenomenal number of milestones to his name: the world record for the fastest ODI 50 (16 balls), 100 (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls); the second highest individual Test score for South Africa (278 not out), the highest points (935) by a South African on the ICC Test rankings and has claimed the coveted SA Cricketer of the Year award twice (2014 and 2015).
He retires with an incredible Test average of 50.66 and as the fourth-highest run-scorer for South Africa with 8765 runs.
His exploits in the limited-overs formats have been extraordinary, and he finishes as the No.2 ranked player in the world and as the second highest run-scorer behind Jacques Kallis with 9577 runs at an average of 53.50.
“AB is one of the all-time greats of South African cricket who has thrilled spectators around the world with his sheer brilliance, coupled to his ability to innovate and take modern day batting in all three formats but particularly in the white ball ones to new levels,” said Cricket South Africa president Chris Nenzani.
De Villiers is a three-time ICC ODI Player of the Year, clinching the trophy in 2010, 2014 and 2015. De Villiers succeeded Graeme Smith as ODI captain after the 2011 World Cup.
He later took over the Test captaincy from Hashim Amla. However, he stepped down as Test captain in 2016 due to an elbow injury.
It was the ODI format, perhaps, that De Villiers enjoyed most.
He captained the side in 103 games since taking over from Graeme Smith in 2012.
