What AB de Villiers did next: One of cricket’s great superstars on the ‘unbearable’ pressures and his new life

Interview: Will he make a spectacular return at next year's World Cup? Unlikely. For the time being, he is happy enough with domestic bliss, playing the odd bit of T20 and nurturing young cricketers

AB de Villiers retired from all forms of cricket in May (Getty)

The bat has been sitting in his shed for three months, unused and untouched by the genius hands that once wielded it. He only went to fetch it because he thought he might need it for the photoshoot. Otherwise, batting could scarcely be further from his mind. The golden years when he bestrode cricket’s many worlds are beginning to recede into memory. At home, where he feels most comfortable, he’s not AB de Villiers, one of the greatest batsmen to walk the earth. He’s just 'AB'. Or ‘Daddy’.

He’s 34 years old now, and since his abrupt retirement from international cricket in May, has been spending his time reacquainting himself with the simple pleasures. A trip to Europe with his wife Danielle. Tending the garden. Spending time with the kids. He’s promoting the new UAE T20x competition taking place in the United Arab Emirates later this year, but not remotely tempted to play in it himself. When you have spent 14 years captaining South Africa, criss-crossing the world, carrying the hopes of a nation, then an extended period of quality time at home feels like its own epic triumph.

“I prefer to be out of the spotlight, to be honest,” he says. “I’ve always been that kind of personality. When I became captain of the Proteas, things changed a bit. But I’ve always enjoyed having some personal time away from the game. Those are the kinds of things I really enjoy.”

Does he still get recognised on the school run? “Unfortunately, yes.”

There is no temptation for AB de Villiers to return (Getty)

But then, he wants to clarify. Of course he’s grateful for what the game has given him, for the opportunities bestowed by fame. He lives for the hum of a packed Bull Ring in Johannesburg, the razzmatazz of Bangalore on a big Indian Premier League night. It’s just that, as he puts it, “I’ve always been shy. I don’t really like attention too much. It’s… quite ironic. But I get embarrassed quite a bit.”

Sachin Tendulkar was similar: another cricketing titan whose immense sporting personality masked a slightly introverted, introspective character. A man who thrives in front of 50,000 people, but clams up in a room of 20. It is one of the reasons, you suspect, why calling time on his international career - de Villiers will still play a little Twenty20 cricket for his local Titans side and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL - was a grave and momentous decision that at the same time felt ludicrously easy to make.

Was there a certain relief at finally ending things, after years of flirting with retirement, of extended breaks and comebacks? “Massively. Yes. I know the right answer is probably to say I will always miss the game. But I truly believe that players who tell you they don’t feel the pressure of international cricket, being away from home for months at a time, are lying to everyone and themselves.

“It’s been unbearable at times: the pressure you have to face, performing day in and day out. The expectations that you put on yourself, from fans, from the country, from coaches. It is huge, and it’s something that’s on your mind all the time as a cricketer. And it’s definitely something that I’m not going to miss. I’m very happy to have stepped away. Absolutely no regrets.”

Only in recent years has de Villiers begun to open up about the true personal cost of his cricketing life. Since making his debut against England in 2004, he has on occasion been the team’s wicket-keeper, its best fielder, its best defensive batsman, its best attacking batsman, its most visible ambassador, its principal innovator, and its captain. Throw in the unprecedented turbulence of franchise T20 and its competing pressures, the unique politics of South African cricket, the expectations of a nation still waiting for its first global trophy, a sporting culture that has always lionised toughness and machismo, and you can see why - as easy as he made it look at times - international cricket was anything but.

Much pressure was heaped upon his shoulders (Getty)

“I was prepared to embrace it, to fight the pressure,” he says. “And I’m happy that I did. But it certainly takes his toll after a while. I feel there is room for players to be more honest about it, having systems in place to make sure they keep fresh and mentally healthy. I was certainly not mentally ill at the time, but I can relate to the fact that pressure can really drive you down, and make you so tired.”

Viewed in this light, de Villiers’s achievements in the game take on an extra resonance. When you consider his 20,000 runs at international level, his Test average of 51 in Test cricket and 54 in one-day internationals, his strike rate of almost 150 in T20 cricket, the fastest ever ODI century, the games he has won, the games he has saved, the games where he has seemed to be playing an entirely sport to the other 21 players, the shots that make your mouth drop open… well, it’s not a stretch to describe him as one of the finest batsmen ever to have lived. As his friend and team-mate Dale Steyn puts it: "You get guys who are good, then you get guys who are excellent, then you get AB de Villiers."

Can he really bring himself to leave it all behind? And what on earth will replace the adrenaline rush of doing the impossible with the world watching? “I know nothing will compare to that feeling of scoring hundreds in a big game,” he admits. “Thousands of people chanting your name. But in all fairness, I don’t miss it. Not yet. Maybe a year down the line. I’m still going to play for a few years; I’ll still play a little bit around the world. But on my own terms.”

Celebrating a century ... a familiar sight (Getty)

It’s why any prospect of a comeback - perhaps for next year’s World Cup in England - seems remote. De Villiers keeps an open mind about the future, but he’s seen the other side of the fence now. And for the time being, he seems happy enough with his domestic bliss, playing the odd T20 tournament, doing bits and pieces of promotional work, nurturing young cricketers.

The UAE T20x, which takes place later this year with five franchises to be based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, ticks the last two boxes. Uniquely in the pandemic landscape of global T20 leagues, each squad will comprise three players from Associate nations, plus three more from the UAE national side alongside six international stars. “I’ve always been a fan of helping some of the Associate nations,” de Villiers says. “You’ve seen some fantastic talent coming through of late: Rashid Khan, one of the best leg-spinners in the world at the moment. I believe it’ll go from strength to strength.”

De Villiers grew up in a pre-T20 world. In his 2016 autobiography, he writes that Test cricket “remains a pure contest, while limited-overs cricket is manufactured”. But having also benefited immensely from the spread of franchise leagues like the IPL, he rejects the existential and instinctive pessimism that seems to be engulfing the game, particularly in its more traditional homes.

De Villiers is the global ambassador for UAE T20x

“I don’t understand why people are negative about cricket,” he says. “I believe it’s in a great place. There are some areas that we need to balance out, and the ICC [International Cricket Council] have a big role to play in that. T20 has changed the face of the game. It’s brought so many different people to the game, and made the awareness around the world so much bigger. I love Test cricket, and I think it’s going nowhere. But the ICC has a really big role to play in making sure all the formats survive.”

In the meantime, de Villiers will be watching from the sidelines, a concerned citizen rather than a participant in his own right. The bat can go back to storage for now, although with the new South African T20 season starting in November, he promises “it’ll come out again soon”. And then, with profuse apologies, he draws the conversation to a close. After all, the kids are beginning to run riot, and the garden won’t preen itself.

AB de Villiers is the global ambassador for UAE T20x, taking place in the UAE from 19th December – 11th January.