AB de Villiers announces return to cricket

Four years after announcing his retirement from all forms of cricket, South Africa’s AB de Villiers is set to return to the field in July this year.

The right-handed batter retired from international cricket in 2018, however, he played franchise cricket till 2021.

The former wicketkeeping batter announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in 2021.

AB de Villiers is now set to return to the cricket field to lead South Africa Champions at World Championship of Legends 2025.

“Four years ago, I retired from all cricket because I just didn’t feel the urge to play anymore. Well, time has passed, and my young sons have started playing the game. We’ve been playing more and more often in the garden, and, well, it feels as though some kind of flame has been lit again. So, I am heading back to the gym and the nets, and I’ll be ready for WCL in July,” he said.

The World Championship of Legends (WCL), a T20 tournament, features retired and non-contracted cricket legends.

He is set to join the South Africa squad featuring star players such as Jacques Kallis, Herschelle Gibbs, Dale Steyn, and Imran Tahir.

The star South African batter is considered a modern-day great, having scored 8,765 runs at an average of 50.66 in Tests, the fourth-highest run-scorer for South Africa with 22 100s.

The former South Africa captain amassed 9,577 runs at 53.50 in ODIs.

De Villiers was famed for mixing traditional and unorthodox shots, as well as his fast scoring and ability to hit the ball to all parts of the ground.