End Of An Era- AB de Villiers retires from International cricket

South Africa's star batsman and modern legend AB de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket with immediate effect. He announced his decision via video message on Wednesday, May 23.

The 34-year old said 'The time is right for him to hang up his boots, bringing a close to his sterling 14-year career.



"I have decided to retire from 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 turns, and to be honest, I am tired," said de Villiers on Wednesday, May 23.

"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.

"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.

The decision came out as a shock for entire cricket lovers. Though he has been in good form since his comeback from injury. He had scored 427 runs in the 4-match Test series against their arch-rivals Australia. And also in this year IPL, he was the second highest run-getter for RCB with 480 runs after Virat Kohli.

"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," he added.



De Villiers made his first-class debut in 2003 for the Northans. Later he played 114 Test, 228 ODIs and 78 T20I matches and scored 8765 in Test, 9577 in ODIs and 1672 runs in T20s. He had scored aggregated 20,014 runs in his entire international career. He has known as Mr 360° among his fans for his extraordinary skill of playing the shots anywhere he wants.

A video announcement from ABD.

I’ve made a big decision today pic.twitter.com/In0jyquPOK

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 23, 2018

A tweet from Suresh Raina

The world of cricket will definitely miss you, @ABdeVilliers17! Loads and loads of love from all of us in India. Enjoy your second innings. #TopMan #Mr360 #Superman

— Suresh Raina (@ImRaina) May 23, 2018

Some emotional tweets from his fans.

What? AB de Villiers has retired?
Sigh!
With AB gone, Cricket will now start with a C.

— Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) May 23, 2018

Dear AB De Villiers! pic.twitter.com/DnO8ElmkWK

— RVCJ Media (@RVCJ_FB) May 23, 2018

Saddest #news ever ☹️😥 https://t.co/Jitw4u4t6J

— Ajay jangid (@AjayAzzujangid) May 23, 2018

A tweet from Harsha Bhogle.

#ABdeVilliers played cricket exactly as it should be played. As fun. As an adventure. As joy.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 23, 2018

Even though he hadn't won any major title for his team, but he was expected to continue to play till 2019 World Cup especially after he was in good form. But he thought beyond all the expectations of his fans.

A big thank you AB de Villiers from team Sacnilk we are wishing you a very happy life ahead.

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Thanks for the reading.