‘ Tired’ South Africa great de Villiers calls time on superb international career

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers cited fatigue as a major factor in his decision to bring an immediate end to a stellar international career.

De Villiers made his Proteas debut in December 2004 and went on to establish himself as one of their greatest- ever bats men over the course of 114 Tests, 228 one- day and 78 Twenty20 internationals.

The 34- year- old, pictured, is fourth and second respective - lyon South Africa’ s all-time list of top run- scorers in Tests ( 8,765) and ODIS ( 9,577), finishing with an average of more than 50 across both formats.

He was a pivotal presence in South Africa’ s middle order during their first Test series win over Australia on home soil since 1970 earlier this year, but it proved to be his international swansong.

De Villiers insists his choice was not motivated by a desire to spend there st of his career on the lucrative domestic T 20 circuit but because top- level competition had left him weary.

In a video on his Twitter account, he said: “I have decid- ed to retire from all interna - tional cricket with immediate effect. It is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired.

“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.

“It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it’s about running out of gas and feeling that it is the right time to move on.

“I have no plans top lay 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 ( current captain) Faf du Plessis and the Proteas.”