AB de Villiers retires from all forms of cricket
Former South African star AB de Villiers has retired from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. The 360-degree batter informed about his retirement through a post on Twitter on Friday. ABD had retired from international cricket in May 2018. However, he continued to star in global T20 leagues. The right-handed batter recently turned out for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 IPL.
Why does it matter?
De Villiers is arguably the most flamboyant batter across formats. He is the only batter who can play any stroke in any corner of the ground against any bowler. In May 2018, he announced a sudden retirement from international cricket. South Africa missed his services in the 2019 World Cup. However, he exhibited his class in franchise cricket until the completion of IPL 2021.
It has been an incredible journey: ABD
A look at his stats in international cricket
In an international career spanning nearly 14 years, ABD aggregated 8,765 runs from 114 Tests at an average of 50.66. The tally includes 22 hundreds with a top score of 278*. ABD racked up another 9,577 runs in ODIs at a prolific average of 53.50, including 25 hundreds and 53 fifties. The Proteas star also featured in 78 T20Is, where he amassed 1,672 runs.
Fastest century in ODI cricket
In 2015, de Villiers registered the fastest ODI hundred of all time. He smashed a hundred off mere 31 balls against West Indies at Johannesburg. The monumental record remains unbroken to date. Overall, de Villiers smashed a blistering 149 from just 44 balls at a strike-rate of 338.63 in that match. During the extraordinary innings, he also smashed the fastest ODI fifty (16 balls).
A superstar in T20 cricket!
Besides international cricket, ABD had a huge fan-base in the T20 format. He is the leading run-scorer for South Africa in T20s. During his career, de Villiers racked up 9,424 runs from 340 T20 matches at a remarkable average of 37.24. He struck at a staggering 150.13. He has smashed the most number of T20 sixes by a SA batter (436).
His numbers in the IPL
ABD emerged as one of the greatest batters in the history of Indian Premier League. Over the years, the South African legend scaled mountains, playing for the RCB. He remains the sixth-highest run-scorer in the tournament, having scored 5,162 from 184 matches. The 37-year-old has the second-most maximums in the league (251). His exploits in the death overs are unmatched.
A look at other notable records of ABD
De Villiers has played 98 consecutive Test matches for South Africa, the most by a player for the nation. He has the distinction of registering a hundred and five dismissals in a single Test match. The 37-year-old remains the second-fastest to 9,000 ODI runs (205 innings). De Villiers has recorded the second-most scores of 90s in international cricket (14).
