'Wish I could bat with you one more time' - AB de Villiers pens heartwarming note after Hashim Amla's retirement

Both AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla shared some beautiful moments together on and off the field. They represented their national team on numerous occasions and both of them were an integral part of the mighty South African side.

Recently, de Villiers penned a heartwarming note for his former teammate Amla after he announced his retirement from all formats of cricket on January 18.

"Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy. Might take me a few days, weeks, months, years. I can literally write a book about you. Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You’ve always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways,” de Villiers wrote.

Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy. Might take me a few days, weeks, months, years.

I can literally write a book about you.

Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You’ve always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways.

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 18, 2023

He then lauded Amla for how he handled criticism and thanked his teammate for inspiring him. 

"Your journey wasn’t easy. “The guy with the weird technique”. “He’ll never last”. “He’ll never be consistent”. But then, in your own very unique way, you just walked out there, time and time again and just batted, like only you can. Calm, composed, consistent, gutsy, skilful and humble, always for the team, for your country. You inspired me in a way I can’t explain,” de Villiers added.

ABD ended a note with a touching tribute, saying that he wish if he could have got another chance to bat with him.

“So, today, I salute you my friend. You served the game to perfection! We can all learn from that. I did I wish I could bat with you one more time.”

Amla announced his international retirement after playing his final world cup with South Africa in 2019. He didn’t have a great end as South Africa got knocked out in the group stage itself. After announcing his international retirement, Amla continued playing county cricket and was a key part of Surrey last season. 

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