South African batting great AB de Villiers to come out of retirement

South African cricket great AB de Villiers has said he plans to return to cricket four years after retiring from all forms of the sport. The 40-year-old dropped a hint in a chat with freelance journalist and broadcaster Melinda Farrell on her YouTube show 'Running Between The Wickets.

"I might still play cricket one day," said AB to Melinda's surprise. He quickly added that there was "no confirmation whatsoever", but he was contemplating a return. AB excited cricket fans worldwide for several years with his audacious strokeplay.

"My kids are putting me under a bit of pressure, so I feel like I could go to the nets with them. My boy could feed me bowling machine balls ... maybe I'll walk out and play a bit of casual cricket somewhere," AB said. He even joked about playing in disguise on the streets for the sake of online content. "I'm talking on a more serious note, actually, of playing some real cricket, not professional IPL or SA20 stuff. But who knows?" AB added.

The Proteas legend, who scored over 20,000 international runs in a career that spanned 14 years, added that he does not want to feel the pressure of competitive cricket again as he wishes to spend quality time with family. "I have had my fair share.. that's done. But a bit of fun here and there, why not?"

After his international retirement in 2018, AB continued to play franchise cricket, notably for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) before ending his playing career in 2021.