Chris Gayle congratulates legend AB de Villiers on a fantastic career

AB de Villiers left the entire world shell-shocked when he chose to hang up his boots in a sudden move on Wednesday (May 23). While fans have been constantly sending in wishes and farewell messages for Mr. 360-degree on social media, many veteran cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar and Dale Steyn have also bid adieu to ABD via posts on Twitter. A recent addition to that list was the Jamaican batting machine, Chris Gayle.

Often termed as one of the most prolific cricketers South Africa has ever produced, AB de Villiers made his debut into the foray of international cricket back in 2004. In a 14-year long career, the man has scored 22 Test centuries and 25 ODI tons, along with more than 20,000 runs in all three formats of the game combined.

‘Superman of Cricket’ bids adieu

Gayle, who played for long with ABD for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) tweeted a warm yet wacky message for the star batsman. He congratulated de Villiers on his splendid career and called him a “legend”. Gayle ended the tweet by wishing him luck for his “next chapter” in life.

In a video message released on Wednesday, ABD spoke at length on his decision and thanked his fans for having supported him throughout his journey. He also explained that he’s “tired” and doesn’t want to pick and choose between the format he plays because when it comes to his nation, it’s either everything or nothing. Further, he explained that he doesn’t intend to play overseas but will continue to play domestic cricket, pledging his eternal support for the Protean captain, Faf du Plessis.

Here’s what Chris Gayle tweeted:

Congrats on a fantastic career legend, @ABdeVilliers17 …I’ll be seeing you! All the best in your next chapter. Blessed 👊🏿

— Chris Gayle (@henrygayle) May 24, 2018

Since it was expected that AB de Villiers would continue to play and play for his nation in the upcoming 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, his sudden decision to retire took the world by surprise. He’d previously taken a break from the game back in 2016-17 owing to fitness issues and some family commitments.

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