AB de Villiers retirement: Cricket fans disappointed, teammates shocked

AB de Villiers surprised the cricketing world on Wednesday by retiring from all formats in international cricket with immediate effect.

In a statement released on his official Twitter handle (@ABdeVilliers17), the 34-year-old dashing batsman from South Africa said, “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. 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’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.”

The reaction of cricket fans, following the announcement, veered from disbelief, anguish and disappointment to praise and gratefulness. Most of the fans paid tribute to De Villiers for his outstanding batting achievements.

Former South Africa pacer Allan Donald was shocked at the announcement.

“So shocked to (hear) AB de Villiers has decided to call time on his international career. But that’s just life and he feels it’s time to move on. Thank you great man for your amazing Match winning Performances, Skill Captaincy and most of all your Humility,” Donald tweeted.

Other fans questioned his decision to retire from international cricket with the ICC 2019 Cricket World Cup in England just a year away.

Dan Brettig, an Australian journalist, stated, “AB de Villiers destroyed Aust(ralia) earlier this year. The fact he’s retiring without taking a crack at the 2019 World Cup is disappointing.”

The phrase ‘run out of gas’ drew disbelief from social media, who cited that De Villiers had barely played international cricket in all formats over the last one year. “Tired of international cricket, it seems. The guy’s barely played any over the last couple of years. I’m tired of AB’s perennially shifting priorities,” tweeted an Indian sports journalist.

The 34-year-old, known as Mr 360 for his ability to play innovative shots, holds the record for the fastest 50, fastest 100 and fastest 150 in ODIs, all coming against West Indies. He smashed a 31-ball 100 in Johannesburg in 2015 and hit a 66-ball 162 in the 2015 World Cup encounter in Sydney.

In the Indian Premier League, De Villiers has scored 3953 runs at a strike-rate of over 150.