Cape Town - South African cricket captain, Faf du Plessis, long-time friend of AB de Villiers, has paid tribute to the former Proteas batsman who shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement on Wednesday.

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Taking to Instagram, du Plessis said he was 'sad' that the pair would never bat together again for the national team and that he had many fond memories of their partnerships together.

'Gonna miss playing with mate . So many great memories of partnerships that we shared on the cricket field. Sad that we won’t bat together again for the green and gold . Gonna miss you.'

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De Villiers' batting form in the recent home Test series against Australia, where he scored 427 runs at an average of 71.16, was crucial in helping South Africa to a home series victory over the visitors for the first time since 1970.

De Villiers appeared in 114 Tests, 228 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 78 T20 Internationals for the Proteas.