"I Didn’t Have The Team Setup Which I Wanted To Be A Part Of"- AB de Villiers Reveals The Reason Behind His Retirement In 2018

Published - 01 Jul 2023, 12:49 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:15 AM

AB de Villiers. Pic Credits: Twitter

Former South Africa’s dashing batter AB de Villiers has opened up on his early retirement from international cricket in 2018 and said that he lost quite a few friends in the form of Mark Boucher, Graeme Smith, and Jacques Kallis when the players retired from the game.

AB de Villiers was a key member of the Proteas side and his wide range of shot were a treat to watch. AB de Villiers was a part of the leadership group of the South African side and he used to assist the skipper Faf du Plessis.

The sudden retirement of AB de Villiers came as a shock in 2018 when the WC 2019 was around the corner. AB de Villiers amassed 19,864 runs in 415 matches and finished as the second-highest run-scorer of South Africa behind Jacques Kallis.

Also Read: “I Was Broken, And I Was Shattered” – AB de Villiers Recalls How His Brother’s Friend Told Him To Take Off Jonty Rhodes’ Cap After He Dropped One Catch

The environment in the South Africa team was a problem for me at that time- AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers was having an interaction on Jio Cinema and said that he didn’t have the team set up which he wanted to be a part of. De Villiers pointed out that a player needs a group of 4-5 people that are very tight and understand the same things that players do.

“The environment in the South Africa team was a problem for me at that time. I didn’t have the team set up which I wanted to be a part of. That sort of changed me during the back end of my career. I lost a lot of friends in Boucher, Smith, and Kallis after they retired. All of a sudden looking around, none of them were there,” said AB de Villiers.

“Some of the other guys were younger than me and played fewer games. All of sudden it was me to drive things, which I really enjoyed, but you need a group like 4-5 people that are very tight. They understand the same things that you do,” he added.

Also Read: “I Got Injections And All Sorts Of Stuff” – AB de Villiers Recalls His Spectacular 162 Against West Indies In The 2015 World Cup

De Villiers said that he always hated stats. AB de Villiers pointed out that he wanted to play and finish at RCB and enjoy his cricket and said that it’s always been about enjoyment.

“I’ve always hated stats. So, I looked at the 10,000 run mark and I thought I just told myself to say that 10,000 is a number. And anyway, yeah, I’m going to decide to myself when I’ve had enough,” said AB de Villiers.

“And I felt at the time, due to many reasons, I think there’s about 20 good reasons, some of them very personal, some of them not so much. I felt, you know what? It’s time for me,” he stated.

“What do I want to achieve for the last four years of my career, I wanted to play and finish at RCB and enjoy my cricket. It’s always been about enjoyment,” he added.

Also Read: ICC World Cup 2023: Shai Hope Equals MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers’ Huge Feat After Match-winning Ton vs Nepal In CWC Qualifier

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AB de Villiers Graeme Smith Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) South Africa National Cricket