From ABD to Superman - An amazing journey in pictures

2016-2018: The flicker before the final goodbye

De Villiers increasingly distanced himself away from Test cricket

While de Villiers continued to pile on the runs, it became increasingly clear that he was having a tough time balancing all three format together, especially after the stirring loss in the 2015 semi-finals. However, he was handed captaincy after Hashim Amla stepped down against England in 2016.

He was in supreme form during IPL 2016

Soon after, he hit the fastest T20I half-century by a South African, against England, and carried on the form in the IPL as well, scoring a century and six fifties during a blockbuster season for RCB, pushing them through to the finals.

The 2017 Champions Trophy was yet another disappointment

In early 2017, de Villiers took a sabbatical from Test cricket, citing the growing burden of international cricket as the reason. The Champions Trophy came and went, but the side could still not lay their hands on major titles. Towards the end of the year, before making a recall to the Test side, he pulverized the Bangladeshi attack with a 176, his highest score in ODIs.

Series wins against India and Australia were high points of his Test return

In late 2017, he made a return to the Test outfit, and pushed his way into the side, playing against India early next year, and following it up with a series (marred by the ball-tampering saga) versus Australia. He scored an unbeaten 126 at Port Elizabeth, staking a claim for a full-fledged preparation in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup.

AB de Villiers walks back after playing his last game in IPL 2018

With the Royal Challengers Bangalore for his eighth season in the IPL, de Villiers displayed sparks of brilliance, even as the rest of the batsmen failed to fire. He ended the tournament with 480 runs from 12 games at an average of over 53, but the RCB franchise could only finish sixth on the table, failing to qualify for the playoffs.

That catch

His final flash of excellence, perhaps, came with his boundary catch against the Sunrisers Hyderabad where he leaped high and grabbed the ball with one hand, becoming a rage on social media for the way he contorted his body to stay in play. Days after, in a video message on Twitter, he announced his retirement from international cricket.