AB de Villiers on Hashim Amla’s retirement: Can literally write a book about you

Amla and de Villiers, who made their debut for South Africa in 2004, had been the foundations of the South African team for almost 15 years, sharing 113 partnerships and scoring 6,274 runs.

FILE PHOTO: South African batters AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, who had a partnership of 221 runs, engaged in a midwicket discussion during the World Cup at PCA stadium in Mohali on February 03, 2011. | Photo Credit: Akhilesh Kumar

AB de Villiers, the former South Africa cricketer, penned an emotional tribute to Hashim Amla as the former Proteas opener announced his retirement from cricket on Wednesday.

“Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy,” wrote de Villiers in his Twitter post.

“(It) might take me a few days, weeks, months, years (to come to terms with your retirement),” he added.

Amla and de Villiers, who made their debut for South Africa in 2004, had been the foundations of the South African team for almost 15 years.

Between 2004 and 2018, when de Villiers announced his retirement, the duo shared 113 partnerships across the three formats and scored 6,274 runs together at an average of 57.55. No other South African pair scored as many runs.

Hashim Amla.. where do I start?! Not easy. Might take me a few days, weeks, months, years.

I can literally write a book about you.

Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You've always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways.

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) January 18, 2023

Talking about their legendary partnerships on the pitch, de Villiers said, “I can literally write a book about you.”

“Humaam, thank you for always being there for me. You’ve always been a brother who made me feel safe in so many ways,” he added.