Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers is regarded as one of the greatest batters in the history of the sport. The Protea legend was known as Mr. 360 during his playing career thanks to his ability to hit shots all around the cricket field.
And he showcased his prowess even more so towards the end of his international career but not many know that he did it with a damaged right eye.
De Villiers made the revelation during a recent interview with Wisden, in which he explained how he detached his retina on the right eye but continued to play cricket for two years despite the damage.
The freak injury to the eye
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“My youngster accidentally kicked me on my eye with his heel. I started really losing vision in the right eye.
“When I got the surgery done the doctor actually asked me, ‘How in the world did you play cricket like this?’. Luckily my left eye did a decent job for the last two years of my career,” ABD said.
Why ABD didn't come back from retirement
The 39-year-old also opened up about why he did not make a comeback from retirement to play for the Proteas once again.
De Villiers said the restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a different team culture in the South African squad resulted in him not making a u-turn from retirement.
“Covid certainly played a role, there’s no doubt about it. From an international perspective, that 2015 World Cup hurt big time.
"It took me a while to get over that and then, when I got back into the side and I was ready to commit, I didn’t feel the same culture that I really needed at that time," de Villiers added.
