Former South Africa captain, Abraham Benjamin De Villiers has announced his retirement from cricket.
De Villiers, 37, retired from all forms of international cricket in 2018 but continued to play in Twenty/20 franchise leagues around the world.
His last match was last month for Indian Premier League team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, who he represented for 10 years.
De Villers said: “It has been an incredible journey.
“Ever since the back yard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm.
“Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly.”
De Villiers played in 114 Test matches, 228 One Day Internationals and 78 Twenty/20 Internationals for South Africa.
He averaged more than 50 in both Test and One Day International cricket, scoring 22 centuries in Tests and 25 in One Day Internationals.
In all Twenty/20s, de Villiers scored 9,424 runs in 340 matches at an average of 37.24 and a strike rate of 150.13, hitting four centuries and 69 half-centuries.
De Villiers made his international debut in the Test series against England in 2004 and made his first One Day International appearance against England a year later.
He kept wicket on occasion, and captained South Africa in all three formats, most notably in One Day Internationals between 2012 and 2017, when he led them in 103 matches.
Cricket South Africa held talks with De Villiers about coming out of international retirement to play in the recent Men’s T20 World Cup but he decided against returning.
De Villiers had not played first-class cricket for domestic team, Titans nor any List A cricket since 2018, focusing instead on T20s.
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