4 reasons that could have prompted De Villiers' retirement thoughts

Just about a week earlier, the cricketing world stopped and shuddered as speculations were rife of AB de Villiers' imminent retirement. Being one of the most loved cricketers in the world right now, the question of his retirement moved every cricket fan deeply.But thankfully, AB de Villiers himself came out to give an interview to Supersport where he dismissed the retirement news as rumours. Instead, he simply insisted that he would cut down his time in the IPL to get some more rest and stay relaxed.We never know where the rumours originated and if the issue had crossed the mind of thee great man himself. If so, here are 4 reasons that could have prompted his retirement thoughts.

#1 To lessen his workload

De Villiers was asked to keep wickets for South Africa in the England Tests because of SA’s batting woes in the format

He might play all the unorthodox shots that puts any new generation T20 cricketer to shame. But let's face it: AB de Villiers is not getting any younger. The intense workload that he has to cope with might be beginning to take a toll on his body.

South Africa's batting order became badly exposed during their tour to India late last year when they had no answers to the Indian spinners. It is primarily because of a lack of batting depth that South Africa have decided to ask AB de Villiers to keep wickets in Tests now.

If AB plays as the wicket-keeper, that gives the South African batting order additional depth. But it also means added workload on his ageing body. He might have well been considering reducing his workload if retirement plans had crossed his mind.

#2 Failure to win the World Cup

The 2015 World Cup held a familiar tale of heartbreak for South Africa

One of the most iconic cricket images of the bygone year was AB de Villiers in tears after the World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand. He had been in the form of his life breaking records for fun. It was widely expected that de Villiers would lead the charge to a maiden World Cup glory for the South Africans.

But it was not to be. The all too familiar story repeated itself as the South Africans choked under pressure. AB de Villiers, despite some superhuman performances in the tournament, ultimately failed to carry his team over the line.

With him not being younger and the added workload of having to keep in Tests, de Villiers must have realised that his chances of making it to the next World Cup are not very bright. And it would then be a natural step to walk away and give the South Africans more time to fill the void left by his absence.

#3 Problems in the Proteas camp

There had been a controversy over including the unfit Vernon Philander for the WC semi final, with fingers pointed at racial policy

A South African newspaper publication called Rapport first broke the story of unrest within the Proteas camp. Many of the current South African cricketers have also considered the unrest to be the chief reason behind de Villers' unhappiness.

An in-form Kyle Abbot had been dropped in the World Cup 2015 because of the inclusion of Vernon Philander who was still nursing a hamstring injury then, leaving AB de Villiers allegedly unhappy. This was, however, one of the many reasons that caused the unrest according to Rapport.

Rapport had earlier reported that Steyn and Philander were considering retirement as they were fed up with the South African policy that makes it mandatory to include six players of colour and at least three black Africans in the team.

#4 Selective retirement

Adeptness at formats would be a far lesser concern for De Villiers than his personal choice

Gone are the days when players can take up more than one sport professionally. Cricket because of its unique structure of having three different formats requires tremendous skill, adaptability and fortitude from players to adapt across all formats.

With the workload increasing exponentially, cricketers these days very often opt out of one format or the other when their ageing bodies struggle to cope with the demands of professional cricket. Retiring from one such format at least often extends the career of an ageing professional.

In his interview to Supersport, AB de Villiers said, "It's always been the most important thing for me to enjoy my cricket. It's just important to look at the schedule moving forward, that's the talk in the camp and for me maybe not to play all kinds of cricket."

So, it was possible that de Villiers was considering retiring from one international format to stay fitter and extend his career.