Shoaib Malik's message for AB de Villiers will win your heart

AB de Villiers is called Mr. 360-degree for a reason. He could enthral the crowds with his breathtaking batting skills just as effortlessly he could take those awe-inspiring catches. The humility and sheer genius of the man made him one of the most revered cricketers of the modern-day game. Thus, when he announced his retirement on Wednesday, the whole world was left shell-shocked.

Amongst the millions of wishes that poured in on various social media platforms, several eminent cricketers also sent in their best wishes. The likes of Mark Boucher, VVS Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag tweeted messages for ABD. Pakistani cricketer, Shoaib Malik also sent in a heart-warming tweet for the Protean superstar.

AB de Villiers takes our leave

The 34-year-old cricketer posted a video message on micro-blogging site, Twitter where he conveyed his decision to retire from all three formats of international Cricket with immediate effect. Although he’ll continue to play domestic Cricket, ABD has no intentions to play overseas as he said in the video. He graciously thanked all his fans for their support throughout his 14-year-long career and expressed the pride he took in playing for his nation.

As somebody who belonged to the same generation of the game as de Villiers, Shoaib Malik took to Twitter to entreat ABD to not leave the game. In a sweet gesture, Malik tweeted, “Tussi na jao” (Please don’t leave) in reply to ABD’s video message, echoing the sentiments of millions worldwide in those three little words. “Everything comes to an end. To the cricket fans around South Africa and the World, thank you for your kindness and generosity, and today, for your understanding,” said ABD in his video message to the world.

Here’s what Shoaib Malik tweeted:

In his illustrious career, AB de Villiers had made and broken several records. Apart from having over 20,000 international runs to his name while playing for South Africa, the prolific cricketer holds the record for the fastest 50, 100 & 150 in ODI history. He was last seen playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), following elimination in which he announced his retirement.

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