Real reason why De Villiers quit cricket?

THE curtain has finally come down on the illustrious cricket career of AB de Villiers.

He is regarded as one of South Africa’s finest and best loved cricketers. That to me is an understatement.

Without a shadow of a doubt he is regarded as one of the best in the world and his career statistics speak volumes. But sadly no one is questioning the real reason for his untimely retirement.

De Villiers, himself, glossed over his decision on Friday, saying now he will have more time to spend with his family.

De Villiers severed ties with all forms of cricket, including the IPL where he played for Royal Challenger’s Bangalore in India. So what is the real reason?

If you speak to De Villiers’ close associates they will tell you the true story and this will startle you.

De Villiers, affectionately known as Mr 360 and Superman, was hoping to be selected for the Proteas cricket team for the Cricket World Cup in Dubai after which he was to announce his retirement.

That was his cherished dream and he wanted to go out in a blaze of glory, but he was devastated when he was not named in the squad even though he, Faf du Plessis and Imran Tahir, all informed Cricket SA that they were available for the T20 World Cricket Championship.

Why CSA excluded these three is unknown and they are mum about it even when journalists asked.

De Villiers’ exclusion was the last straw and he made the hasty decision to quit. Apparently he was in tears and had to be comforted.

A sad loss for cricket in general, not only South Africa. There must be serious introspection of how cricket is run by CSA. Who’s making the decisions. For me De Villiers will always be the country’s best cricketer of all time.

JUSTIN MOODLEY I Phoenix