AB De Villiers Thanks His Teammates and Opponents for the Support, Says Past Few Days Before His Retirement Decision Were Tough

South African wicket-keeper AB de Villiers announced his retirement yesterday and sent a wave of shock amongst his fans and opponents around the world. Many cricketing greats including Sachin Tendulkar, Dale Steyn, David Miller, Ravichandran Ashwin and many others congratulated de Villiers for his prolific career. On Thursday, he thanked everyone for their support via Twitter.

Mr 360 degree took to Twitter and wrote, “Thank you to everyone - especially the players past and present, MY TEAMMATES and opponents - for their good wishes and understanding. The last few days have been tough and emotional, but I'm taken aback by all the love and support! #proteafire for life.”

Having played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is, de Villiers announced retirement via a video message on social media. In the clip, de Villiers said, “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.”

“I will always be grateful to my teammates, to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years. It's not about earning more somewhere else, it's about running out of gas and feeling that it is the time to move on. Everything comes to an end. To the cricket fans around South Africa and the World, thank you very much for your kindness and generosity, and today, for your understanding," he further stated.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 24, 2018 10:39 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).