Like a fart in the wind, AB de Villiers disappeared into the world of retirement with a 184-word statement on his widely followed social media platforms that boasts more than 24-million followers.
No fanfare, no press conference where he battled to control the tears flowing down his cheeks while bidding an emotional goodbye to the sport he dazzled with his outrageous talent and which repaid him with fame and fortune.
For a showman widely regarded as one of the players who revolutionised the modern batting game with his innovative and insouciant stroke-play, his departure was an anticlimax.
“Mr 360” or “Superman” was a megastar, who legend has it can’t walk down the streets of Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad or any other city in cricket-mad India without attracting attention.
He left an indelible mark on the Indian Premier League (IPL) with 5,162 runs after 170 innings and he was always welcomed by chants of “ABD, ABD” every time he went in to bat for the Delhi Daredevils or Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He is also respected in SA and around the world for his immense contribution of 20,014 runs and 47 centuries from 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20s for the Proteas.
Among his many career highlights, De Villiers owns records for the fastest 50 (16 balls), 100 (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls) in ODIs.
His unbeaten 278 against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in 2010 is the second-highest individual Test score by a SA batsman after former Proteas batting mainstay Hashim Amla (311).
I first came across a young De Villiers in the early 2000s while playing flyhalf for Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) with the likes of Heino Kuhn, Pierre Spies, Sarel Potgieter, Derick Kuün and Cliff Milton and I was immediately impressed by his natural ability.
I later saw him play cricket and I knew he would become a Springbok or a Protea and as it turned out he went on to summit the pantheon of the cricket game he left as an undisputed colossus.
It has been a few weeks since the surprise announcement where he declared: “I’ve had my time”, and I have had time to reflect on his career and what type of legacy he has left behind.
As I looked back at his distinguished career, I could not help but realise that behind the grace, class and those jaw-dropping shots that left bowlers and fielders helpless, there was an ugly side.
The talented young man, who rose through the ranks in the Proteas set-up to captain his country, along the way was caught by the trappings that came with fame and power.
Gifted people are generally petulant and they tend to think that everything revolves around them; and if you listen to the testimonies of some of the people who worked with him over the years at the Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) hearings, you get a sense that he grew arrogant.
It is public knowledge that he and current coach Mark Boucher, director of Cricket Graeme Smith and other former senior Proteas players were projected in an unflattering light at the SJN hearings.
It was alleged at the SJN hearings by former national selector Hussein Manack that De Villiers didn’t want a young Kagiso Rabada to play against England at the Wanderers in 2015
It was alleged that De Villiers played a role in the unfair non-selection of deserving batsman Khaya Zondo against India in 2015 along racial lines.
It was also alleged at the SJN hearings by former national selector Hussein Manack that De Villiers didn’t want a young Kagiso Rabada to play against England at the Wanderers in 2015.
Former Proteas wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile also accused De Villiers of insisting on keeping wicket as a way of blocking him out of the team.
The other stain on De Villiers’ career is that he announced retirement in 2018 but arrogantly thought he could somehow use public support to force his way back into the squad for the 2019 World Cup.
Former convener of selectors Linda Zondi has said that he was made aware of De Villiers’ availability two days before the World Cup squad was to be announced.
Zondi stuck to his guns and turned him down because it would’ve been unfair on players already selected who were working hard while he was enjoying his retirement.
It must be made clear that De Villiers has not been found guilty of any wrongdoing and he has denied all allegations that he abused his power as a senior player and leader of the team.
SJN hearings ombudsman Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza is expected to submit his final report this week and the country is waiting with bated breath to hear his recommendations.
There is no doubt that it has been an eventful journey for “Abbass”, who revolutionised the sport and earned various sobriquets for his almost superhuman batting traits. As he collected his blazer and slammed the door shut behind him, I was left with memories of a prodigious and once-in-a-lifetime talent who was at times selfish and unfortunately left a complicated legacy.
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