AB de Villiers expected to retire from tests

[Stefan9]

Put himself ahead of the team as has been the case for quite a while. His attitude has stunk and continues to stink...

 

[Heboric]

Put himself ahead of the team as has been the case for quite a while. His attitude has stunk and continues to stink...

With 'supporters' like you, AB definitely has the right idea about putting himself and his family first. He doesnt owe anybody and especially those fickle South African supporters...

 

[harsh.ag]

It was a great honour to watch him play. Hope he has the best life ahead. WAG.

 

[Red]

One guy who I always wished played on my team. Such an entertaining cricketer.

 

[vcs]

One of my best experiences was watching him live in Bangalore in 2015 (washed out Test). Made 85 effortless runs while the rest of his team struggled badly, with the crowd cheering him on like he was an Indian player. WAG.

 

[srbhkshk]

One of my best experiences was watching him live in Bangalore in 2015 (washed out Test). Made 85 effortless runs while the rest of his team struggled badly, with the crowd cheering him on like he was an Indian player. WAG.

The number of fans he has in India is easily more than SAs population.

 

[Starfighter]

So, is he actually going to or is this journalistic bluster?

 

[Heboric]

So, is he actually going to or is this journalistic bluster?

Its more than likely true, but it is Firdose who loves the tabloid style journalism

 

[vcs]

The number of fans he has in India is easily more than SAs population.

The reception he got on every Indian ground on that tour was amazing..

 

[subshakerz]

AB played a red hot Mitchel Johnson better than anyone....

 

[Burgey]

He did. It was fantastic to watch. Was on a different level to anyone else that series and summer.

 

[honestbharani]

AB played a red hot Mitchel Johnson better than anyone....

He did. It was fantastic to watch. Was on a different level to anyone else that series and summer.

What have you done, Burgey? A lil too much booze?

 

[Burgey]

I thought he meant TOTAB in the nets up in Qld when he pasted Johnson all over the place at the age of 60 odd.

 

[Burgey]

While still declaring himself available for test matches, unlike the South African bloke who's gone off to fap about in T20 joke stuff.

 

[honestbharani]

Nice recovery. NOT.

 

[quincywagstaff]

I see the predictable reaction to ABDV’s likely retirement from Tests being ‘Test Cricket is doomed!’ but they’re acting like he’s giving up on playing Tests when he’s in his early-mid 20s and only played a dozen or so Tests.

I was really surprised when I checked his Test career and he’s played 106 Tests; that’s even more than someone like Adam Gilchrist played (who never missed a Test through injury during his career).

He’s had a lengthy and substantial Test career individually and has been part of a Test side that has won pretty much everywhere and beaten everyone. What’s there left to achieve in that format?

Sure, it would be preferable for him to continue for a couple more years but the reaction from the likes of Mike Brearley and Brendon McCullum going for the tried and true “Test cricket is in crisis” is pretty misguided based on ABDV.

 

[Black_Warrior]

No, 106 tests is not a lot for someone who started early in a team that for most part has a steady test schedule every year which involves 6 plus tests in this day and age of excellent fitness levels. When a top talent of the game and one of the fittest players known in the game decides to leave at 34 without a career ending injury, while reaffirming his desire to play a 3 month old T20 league, then it's fair to question the health of the game. A player of ABDV's fitness and the age at which he started would usually end up playing 150+ tests in a full career.

Test cricket fans tend to react emotionally to suggestions that the game is not in great health and the usual response is to brush it away. But far too many stakeholders directly involved in the game talk about the need for change. Surely they can't all be talking crap. Test cricket in most markets is not the most financial model and when sponsorship and broadcast deals and revenue projections are decided, test cricket is not on the top of the list. This much is clear from all finance related news about cricket in the recent past. Even during India's mammoth test season earlier this year and late last year, India-England series saw very small crowds. Yes ticket sales don't account for a lot of revenue but empty grounds when two of the biggest teams are playing in a major 5 match series does not vouch for great health.

 

[OverratedSanity]

No, 106 tests is not a lot for someone who started early in a team that for most part has a steady test schedule every year which involves 6 plus tests in this day and age of excellent fitness levels. When a top talent of the game and one of the fittest players known in the game decides to leave at 34 without a career ending injury, while reaffirming his desire to play a 3 month old T20 league, then it's fair to question the health of the game. A player of ABDV's fitness and the age at which he started would usually end up playing 150+ tests in a full career.

Test cricket fans tend to react emotionally to suggestions that the game is not in great health and the usual response is to brush it away. But far too many stakeholders directly involved in the game talk about the need for change. Surely they can't all be talking crap. Test cricket in most markets is not the most financial model and when sponsorship and broadcast deals and revenue projections are decided, test cricket is not on the top of the list. This much is clear from all finance related news about cricket in the recent past. Even during India's mammoth test season earlier this year and late last year, India-England series saw very small crowds. Yes ticket sales don't account for a lot of revenue but empty grounds when two of the biggest teams are playing in a major 5 match series does not vouch for great health.

I don't think you can use de Villiers' retirement as an example to say test cricket is suffering at all imo. AB's decision has so many other factors at play (him wanting desperately for SA to win a WC, the quota system, his disappointment at losing the captaincy). He isn't retiring because test cricket is declining. It's just lazy to tie everything back to that same discussion.

And btw, the Ind-Aus series was an enormous success. There were reports indicating it was probably the most watched test series ever on Indian television.

 

[Daemon]

Yep. Cricket memes reached an all time peak in quality and volume during that series, a clear indicator of popularity.

 

[StephenZA]

No, 106 tests is not a lot for someone who started early in a team that for most part has a steady test schedule every year which involves 6 plus tests in this day and age of excellent fitness levels. When a top talent of the game and one of the fittest players known in the game decides to leave at 34 without a career ending injury, while reaffirming his desire to play a 3 month old T20 league, then it's fair to question the health of the game. A player of ABDV's fitness and the age at which he started would usually end up playing 150+ tests in a full career.

Test cricket fans tend to react emotionally to suggestions that the game is not in great health and the usual response is to brush it away. But far too many stakeholders directly involved in the game talk about the need for change. Surely they can't all be talking crap. Test cricket in most markets is not the most financial model and when sponsorship and broadcast deals and revenue projections are decided, test cricket is not on the top of the list. This much is clear from all finance related news about cricket in the recent past. Even during India's mammoth test season earlier this year and late last year, India-England series saw very small crowds. Yes ticket sales don't account for a lot of revenue but empty grounds when two of the biggest teams are playing in a major 5 match series does not vouch for great health.

ABdV is not a good indicator for the decline in Test popularity, regardless of whether tests are in decline or not.

Between the quotas system in SA, him being a big family man and SA using him as a wicket keeper when he had a bad back have probably knocked 2/3 years (at least) off his Test career. And unlike most players who drop LO stuff to prolong Test career as a South African player his focus on wanting to win a WC is obvious and makes more sense than trying to prolong his test career.