South African cricket coach Otis Gibson has revealed that the retirement of AB De Villiers came as a shock to him.
De Villiers shockingly announced last week that he would be retiring from all forms of international cricket with the World Cup just a year away. He will continue to play franchise and T20 cricket.
During his 14-year international career, De Villiers established himself as one of the best South African batsman and fielders of the modern era as well as one of the most entertaining batsmen of the modern era.
Gibson has since revealed that he had a conversation with De Villiers a day before the announcement was made, but was unable to change the mind of the 34-year-old.
“He called me the morning before he made the announcement,” said Gibson.“We had a long conversation about whether he was making the right decision.”
Gibson said De Villiers’ decision had been a shock to him. “He is one of the best players in the world. He could have made a huge difference in the World Cup.”
