Former South African skipper, AB de Villiers will soon be making his county cricket debut this summer as he has signed a short-term contract to play for Middlesex in the T20 Blast. Last year, he announced retirement from international cricket after playing for the Proteas for 13 years, during which he amassed 20,014 runs across all three formats.

ABD will be available for Middlesex’s first seven group matches, starting in July, as well as the latter stages if the club makes it to the knock-out stages. Describing the same, he said, “I have always wanted to play county cricket. Playing at Lord’s is always a wonderful privilege, and I’m looking forward to the match at Richmond, a beautiful ground in south-west London. That will be a great experience.”

De Villiers is Middlesex’s second notable overseas players since the arrival of Stuart Law as head coach in January. Earlier this month, the Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman also joined the club for this season’s Blast campaign.

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Talking about the inclusions, Law said, “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. I look forward to working with AB this season and can’t wait to watch one of my favorite modern-day batsman up close and personal.”

De Villiers has featured in every season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008, and commonly regarded as one of the superstars when it comes to the shortest format, alongside the power-hitters like Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum.

He is currently captaining Lahore Qalanders in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), for whom he starred with a match-winning fifty in a thrilling finish against Multan Sultans on Friday.