It’s officially the end of an era in South African cricket — the AB de Villiers era. The AB de Villiers era came to an end when this cricket legend made the slightly unexpected announcement on Friday morning that he was officially retiring from all forms of cricket.

The 37-year-old De Villiers made the announcement on his social media platforms, while also posting a video in which he stated his case and thanked his supporters from all over the cricket world.

It has been an incredible journey, but I have decided to retire from all cricket.

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. pic.twitter.com/W1Z41wFeli

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 19, 2021

In May 2018, De Villiers retired from all forms of international cricket. It was speculated at the time that the political intrigue in South African cricket was a major factor in De Villliers’ decision to retire Several times since then he was in a slightly controversial way involved in speculation that he would be available for the Proteas again, but this never materialized.

Last, I am aware that nothing would have been possible without the sacrifices made by my family – my parents, my brothers, my wife Danielle and my children. I look forward to the next chapter of our lives when I can truly put them first.

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 19, 2021

One of the interesting aspects of the video that De Villiers released on Friday morning was the fact that he devotes more than half of its duration to his involvement with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), while never mentioning the Proteas or the Titans, the South African franchise for which he played throughout his career.

Following this, questions will certainly be asked for a long time about the way De Villiers was treated by the South African cricket establishment and what role the political turmoil in South African cricket played in his decision to — during the last four years of his career — rather concentrate on T20 tournaments around the world, while playing very little cricket in South Africa.

De Villiers’ apparent dissatisfaction with the current cricket setup in South Africa was also evident in the video when he talked about his possible future involvement in the game. He completely ignored South Africa as a possibility and concentrated only on India and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL.

It was noteworthy that, except for one a flimsy tweet, by 15:00 on Friday, almost seven hours after De Villiers’ retirement was announced, Cricket SA had not yet uttered a word in public or even issued a statement thanking their former captain for his contribution to the game.

I would like to thank every teammate, every opponent, every coach, every physio and every staff member who has travelled the same path, and I am humbled by the support I have received in South Africa, in India, wherever I have played

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 19, 2021

If the controversy of the last few years of his career is ignored — and which in any case took place around him outside his control — this former pupil of the Afrikaans Boys’ High School in Pretoria remains one of the very best players that South Africa has ever produced.

He scored 10689 first class runs at an average of 49.71 in his career. His Test stats look even better, as at that level he scored 8765 runs at an average of 51.66 in 114 Tests. In One Day International matches he scored 9577 runs at an average of 53.5 in 228 matches and in T20 internationals (78 matches) he smashed 1672 runs (average 26.12).

Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. Whether playing for the Titans, or the Proteas, or RCB, or around the world, the game has given me unimagined experiences and opportunities, and I will always be grateful.

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) November 19, 2021

His highest score at Test level was 278 runs, which he scored against Pakistan in 2010. De Villiers in particular had the ability to destroy any bowling attack in the 50-over variation of the game. He played several legendary innings for the Proteas at this level with his highest score being the 176 off 104 balls he scored in October 2017 against Bangladesh in Paarl.

One of his best innings ever at ODI level, which spectators will remember for a very long time, was on a Sunday in January 2015 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg in one of the so-called Pink Day games against the West Indies. That day De Villiers blasted 149 off just 44 balls to fuel the Proteas to a great victory, while performing blows that the average player can only dream of.