"My Kid Accidentally...": AB De Villiers On How He 'Began To Lose Vision' That Led To His Sudden International Retirement

Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batter AB de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket in 2018

Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers is undoubtedly one of the finest cricketers in the history of the sport. Making his international debut in 2004, de Villiers went on to play 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is, scoring 20014 runs for the Proteas. Apart from this, the wicketkeeper-batter is widely popular for his heroics in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. De Villiers, who is known by the nickname of 'Mr 360', announced his retirement from international in 2018 and later called time on his IPL career in 2021.

However, in a recent interaction with Wisden Cricket, de Villiers revealed the real reason behind his sudden retirement. He stated that his young son had accidentally kicked him in the eye, which declined his vision.

"My kid accidentally kicked my eye with his heel. I began to lose vision in my right eye. After the surgery, the doctor wondered, 'How on earth did you play cricket like this?' Thankfully, my left eye held up well in the final two years of my career," de Villiers told Wisden Cricket.