AB de Villiers joins English county side for T20 Blast

Legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers has agreed to join English county side Middlesex for the T20 Blast.

The former Proteas player will be available to play in Middlesex’s first several group games starting in July and will also be available for selection if the club manages to progress to the latter stages of the competition. Another player who is set to join Middlesex for the competition is Afghan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rehman.

De Villiers surprisingly decided to retire from international cricket last year. He now spends most of his time playing in T20 leagues across the world. He is arguably one of the best stroke players of all time and will add quality to the Middlesex batting lineup.

Embed from Getty Images

“Mr 360” is currently playing for the Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistani Super League. De Villiers has previously indicated that he could carry on playing professional cricket for another three years and also remains available for selection for his South African provincial side, the Titans.

De Villiers has played in every Indian Premier League (IPL) season since the inception of the tournament in 2008. He has scored more than 4000 runs in the annual Indian cricket club competition and averages just less than 40. In addition to adding quality on the field, he’s also likely to be a great marketing tool for Middlesex.

Reflecting on his agreement to play for the club, he said, as quoted by Sport 24: “I have always wanted to play county cricket, and I am very much looking forward to joining Middlesex. Playing at Lord’s is always a wonderful privilege.”

Middlesex coach Stuart Law added: “It’s exciting for all here at Middlesex to announce the arrival of AB de Villiers for the T20 Blast this season. It’s a great opportunity for some of our younger players to pick the brain of one of the best players to have graced the game of cricket and for the support staff to work with him as well.”