5 factors that might have influenced AB de Villiers’ shocking retirement 

Former South Africa Test captain AB de Villiers said he "ran out of gas" when he announced his retirement from international cricket on May 23, leaving fans across the world in a state of shock. Not many had apprehended this news, especially not before the World Cup 2019.

"I've had my turn and, to be honest, I'm tired," he said. "This is a tough decision. I've thought long and hard about it and I'd like to retire still playing decent cricket. It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in green and gold, it must be everything or nothing," he concluded.

On this note, here we analyze 5 possible reasons why the greatest ODI batsman of this era suddenly put down his papers.

#5 Rigours of international cricket

AB de Villiers has been playing non-stop cricket since January this year. The South Africa home series generally ends in March and the Indian Premier League starts in April. That, as de Villiers himself said, can become really taxing.

de Villiers made his international debut in the Test series against England in 2004 and a year later made his ODI debut as well. The elegant batsman scored 8,765 Test runs for South Africa and boasts of a batting average in excess of 50 in both Test and ODI cricket.

#4 Lack of pay parity between clubs and international teams

Reports indicate that what Jonathan Trot made from playing for six years for England, AB could not make in his entire career playing for South Africa

There is an evident lack of pay parity between clubs and international teams. Reports indicate that what Jonathan Trott made from playing for six years for England, AB could not make in his entire career playing for South Africa.

Besides, the IPL pays a lot more and after the cancellation of the Global T20 league, Cricket South Africa (CSA) is short of funds. Although, this may not have been a factor deciding his international retirement but this point has been brought up by several writers and analysts.

#3 His own fitness concerns

ABD took a year-long break from cricket from 2016-17

AB de Villiers’ own fitness and mental health have not been at the very best. He took a year-long hiatus from cricket from 2016 to mid-2017, saying he needed a break from the game.

Keeping this in mind, it can be assumed that his mind and heart were not at the right place. In his retirement video, the legend himself said that he feels he has run out of fuel in his tank and is now tired.

#2 Age factor

At 34, is it now time to focus attention on family

AB de Villiers is 34 years of age. He has been playing cricket for the past 12 years and may want to spend some time with family, as so many cricketers in the past have done. He played 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is for his national team, from which he has 8765, 9577, and 1672 runs respectively.

He holds the record for the fastest one-day century, which came in just 31 balls against West Indies in January 2015. He also holds the record for the fastest Test century by a South African - 100 from 75 balls against India in 2011.

#1 South Africa’s poor international schedule

South Africa's international schedule has not been too competitive

South Africa’s lacklustre international schedule could have been another reason behind de Villiers’ retirement plans. For example, they play Sri Lanka and Pakistan this year, teams de Villiers doesn’t have much to prove against.

Big ticket series are few for South Africa. He would thus have thought it better to call it a day, rather than facing the rigours of travelling and playing weaker teams. de Villiers added in his video message that he has "no plans" to play overseas, and will continue to be available for domestic cricket in South Africa.