Following AB de Villiers announcement about his retirement, cricket-lovers around the world are expressing their love for one of the finest players to have emerged from South Africa.
Among those who paid tributes to ABD was Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and other Pakistani cricketers, who also took to their social media handles to share how the star player has inspired them.
“You were my childhood inspiration and I always tried to learn from your charismatic approach,” Babar wrote on Twitter.
Recalling his first interaction with De Villiers, he added: “I still remember the first time I met you and how welcoming you were.”
“You have inspired many generations of cricket. Wish you the very best and a happy retirement.”
Shoaib Malik, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman also lauded the South African, among others.
De Villiers, who announced his retirement from cricket on Friday, will be remembered as one of the sport’s great entertainers and one of the finest players to represent South Africa.
He was an outstanding batsman in all forms of international cricket, averaging more than 50 in both 118 Test matches and 228 One-Day Internationals.
