Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984), commonly known as AB de Villiers, is a South African former international cricketer who plays for the South African national team and Titans in domestic cricket. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
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De Villiers holds many batting records, including the world’s fastest ODI 50, 100 and 150, the fastest Test century by a South African and the fastest T20I 50 by a South African. He also plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
De Villiers, a star for the Proteas as well his IPL franchise, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, finds himself at No.99 on the list.
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de Villiers, who debuted for South Africa in December 2004, appeared in 114 Test matches scoring 8765 runs at an average of 50.66. He has 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries to his name in cricket’s longest format.
De Villiers had a Google Trend score of 4, a social media following of 5.7 million and endorsements close to R60 million.
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The 34-year-old said ‘the time is right’ for him to hang up his boots, bringing a close to a sterling 14-year career.
“I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect,” he said on Wednesday. “After 114 Test matches, 228 ODI’s and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired.
“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.
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“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 team mates 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.
“ 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.”
Here’s the message he gave on his retirement.
I’ve made a big decision today pic.twitter.com/In0jyquPOK
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 23, 2018
