AB de Villiers made a huge announcement on social media yesterday afternoon. The former South African cricket team captain announced his retirement from all formats of cricket. He had quit international cricket in 2018, but Mr. 360 had been playing in the T20 leagues like the Indian Premier League, the Mzansi Super League, the Pakistan Super League and Big Bash League.
Soon after AB de Villiers shared the news, cricketers and fans from across the world praised and thanked him for his contribution to the sport. The right-handed batter played his last match for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League against the Kolkata Knight Riders last month.
Many cricketers junior to him thanked him for sharing his experience and some valuable tips with them. Namibian captain Gerhard Erasmus was one them. Many fans would have seen how well Namibia performed well in their first-ever T20 World Cup appearance. Namibia not just qualified for Round 1 but also made it to the Super 12 and beat Scotland in the Super 12 stage.
“Dankie AB”- Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus sends a message to AB de Villiers
A day after AB de Villiers announced his retirement, Namibian skipper Gerhard Erasmus wrote a short message on Twitter. He wrote thanks to him and said “Dankie AB.” Notably, Erasmus posted a photo of AB and himself playing cricket during Gerhard’s childhood. Interestingly, de Villiers replied to him in Afrikaans language and said:
“Wow. Spesiaal! Ek onthou dit soos gister. Trots op hoe vêr jy gekom het.” (English Translation: Wow. Special! I remember it like yesterday. Proud of how far you have come)
Erasmus has played eight ODIs and 30 T20Is for Namibia. The African side has qualified for T20 World Cup 2022, and it is likely that Erasmus will lead again.