New Delhi:
After retiring from International cricket in May 2018, De Villiers has been featuring in almost every franchise-based T20 league around the globe and recently made his debut in the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League. Former South Africa captain will now be trying out new horizons as he sets his eyes on a stint in the Big Bash League in the 2019-20 season.
AB de Villiers, widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen to play cricket, retired from the game after playing 114 Tests, 228 ODI matches and 78 T20I matches in a career spanning from 2004-2018. He made 8765 runs in Tests, 9577 runs in ODIs and 1672 runs in T20I matches. Now the 35-year-old will be traveling down under to test the T20 waters there, as BBL is widely thought to be the second-best league after the IPL.
The South African superstar has shown interest in wielding the willow Down Under in the 2019-20 season and is looking for a club in the back half of the BBL that season and his management has approached many clubs, who have reciprocated positively. Despite leaving the international game more than a year ago, De Villiers remains one of the world’s most sought-after players in T20 cricket, given his wide array of shots and electric fielding.
In the ongoing IPL 2019, the RCB batting stalwart has passed fifty in four of his past seven innings, leading the batting charts with Indian superstar and RCB captain Virat Kohli. His signing will be considered to be a major coup for any of the BBL clubs, as he and Chris Gayle are the only two foreign players in the Indian Premier League to strike in excess of 150 while averaging more than 40.
“De Villiers is someone I’ve really looked up to. He’s true entertainment,” Melbourne Stars skipper Glenn Maxwell was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.
