For long, Legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers' possible comeback from retirement has been one of the biggest talking points in world cricket.
With the next T20 World Cup scheduled to be played this year in India, Cricket South Africa (CSA) was expected to have a conversation with AB regarding his comeback.
On Tuesday, however, the board confirmed that while the conversation did happen, AB refused to come out of retirement.
'Discussions with AB de Villiers have concluded with the batsman deciding, once and for all, that his retirement will remain final,' the statement said.
Meanwhile, South African cricket coach Mark Boucher shared more details about why De Villiers refused to come out of retirement.
'AB has his reasons, which I respect. Unfortunately, he’s no longer in the mix. I say unfortunately because I think we all agree that he’s still one of the best – if not the best – T20 players in world cricket,' Boucher told The Citizen.
'But he alluded to being concerned about coming in ahead of other players who have been a part of the system. I don’t think it sat well with him, which I understand.'
Boucher added that he respects AB's decision and it was time to move on. 'As a coach I needed to try and get our best players, for the team and the environment. AB is an energy-booster in any environment, but I respect his reasoning. It was worth a go, but now let’s move forward,' Boucher added.
Despite having retired from international cricket in 2018, de Villiers remains one of the most explosive batsmen in the shortest format of the game.