Dale Steyn pens a beautiful farewell letter to AB de Villiers

When a world-class player retires from the game, the entire world is submerged in heartbreak and sorrow. Ever since AB de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday (May 23), wishes and farewell messages have been pouring in for he masterful player. His teammate of long, Dale Steyn also joined the list by penning a beautiful post for de Villiers on social media.

South African pacer, Steyn has had a long period of association with ABD and they’ve played side by side in the green and gold jersey for their nation. Understandably, the latter’s decision to hang up his boots inspired Steyn to congratulate him on his spectacular cricketing journey by posting a heartfelt message along with a beautiful picture of the two together.

AB de Villiers bids adieu to the cricketing world

Long hailed as one of the world’s best cricketers, AB de Villiers has created and broke innumerable records in his career spanning fourteen long years. From holding the records of the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in ODI cricket to amassing 20,000+ runs in international cricket, the 34-year-old had done it all. He was last seen in action for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Steyn, who’d been AB de Villiers’ former Protean teammate, called him a ‘champion’ in his heartfelt goodbye post and said that there’d “never be another AB de Villiers”. The picture he posted along with the message was an adorable one where the two players clad in South Africa jersey can be seen hugging each other during an on-field celebration.

He wrote- “We started this cricket thing way back in 2004
We’ve seen the world, met amazing people, played the great teams and beaten the best there is in it too.
We’ve shared change rooms, been roomies, golf partners, McDonald’s after late nights.
You’re a champion man in my book bud, and I’m pretty sure in everyone else’s too.
Congratulations on a stellar international career, it’s been a incredible journey and privilege to have shared it with you.
There’ll never be another Ab de Villiers”

Here’s Steyn’s post:

We started this cricket thing way back in 2004 We’ve seen the world, met amazing people, played the great teams and beaten the best there is in it too. We’ve shared change rooms, been roomies, golf partners, McDonald’s after late nights. You’re a champion man in my book bud, and I’m pretty sure in everyone else’s too. Congratulations on a stellar international career, it’s been a incredible journey and privilege to have shared it with you. There’ll never be another Ab de Villiers 👊🏼

A post shared by 🔘 (@dalesteyn) on May 24, 2018 at 2:06am PDT

AB de Villiers chose to convey his decision to retire from the game via a video message in which he thanked his supporters and expressed his gratitude at having been able to play for his nation. He also elucidated that he has intentions to play overseas and will only play domestic cricket hereon. Cricketing stalwarts, including Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, also posted warm messages to bid adieu to ABD.

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