A day after South African batsman AB de Villiers shocked the sporting world by announcing his retirement from the international cricket, the cricketer posted another message on Twitter thanking his fans and teammates for the “love and support”. In a tweet, the 34-year old said that the last few days have been “emotional” for him. “Thank you to everyone – especially the players past and present, MY TEAMMATES and opponents – for their good wishes and understanding,” the batsman wrote.
The right-handed batsman further said that he was “taken aback” by all the good wishes. “The last few days have been tough and emotional, but I’m taken aback by all the love and support! #proteafire for life,” he wrote.
De Villiers announced his retirement on Wednesday via a video message on his official Twitter account. In the video, he said that he is “tired” and believes that it is time for him to step down. “I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect. It is time for others to take over. I have had my turn and to be honest I am tired,” he said.
Several sportspersons, including legendary cricketers such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Allan Donald, etc, sent good luck wishes to the former Proteas player in social media posts, immediately after his announcement.
De Villiers played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for South Africa. In his career, he holds the record for the fastest 50, 100 and 150. He scored 22 centuries in the longest format and 25 tons in ODis.