AB de Villiers, South African batsman, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. The following news comes as a surprise, rather as a shock to the Cricket fraternity across the globe. Making his announcement on his official Twitter account, de Villiers said, “With a 14 seasons ago, I arrived as a youngster, when I was first called into Proteas squad. Today At the same place I want to let you know that I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect.”

Talking about his career, the former South African captain said, “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.”

He 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.”

The question that will be boggling any fan's mind would be: will he still continue to play in T20 leagues around the world? The following passage from his retirement video throws light into it: “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.

AB de Villiers, who had a glittery 14-year career, was thankful to his teammates and coaches too. He said, "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."

Watch AB de Villiers Retirement Speech here:

Clearing the air over his participation in cricket leagues elsewhere in the world, AB de Villiers said, “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. Thank you," said AB de Villiers while signing off.

AB de Villiers, who is fondly called as Mr 360 too, was a member of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. The team crashed out of the tournament as they weren't able to qualify for the IPL Playoffs this year. On a personal note, he scored 480 runs, with a staggering strike rate of 174.54, in the 12 matches he had played in the season.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 23, 2018 05:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).