I am surprised and shocked at AB de Villiers retirement from all forms of cricket. He is one of the greatest cricketers to have played for South Africa and one thought his contribution was immensely needed for his country in the ODI World Cup next year as he is the key member of the proteas team. AB de Villiers is the greatest ODI player of the modern era having scored the fastest ODI ton in just 31 balls and fastest 50 of just 16 deliveries. Sixteen sixes in an ODI innings too is a world record which he shares with Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle.
Thirty-four is too young to retire and perhaps, his countrymen should request him to reconsider his retirement plans at least post the next World Cup so that South Africa can have a real shot at the cup which they have never won. Modern day cricketers do drain out by fatigue much earlier because of the amount of cricket they play including T-20’s and IPL. Perhaps a lesson for some Indian stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Co. to limit the number of games they play to extend their cricketing career which would be good for their country!
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
