ABD has a huge fan base across the world!

He suffered from sleeplessness and anxiety disorders

He retired from all formats of the game a few years ago

If there’s one cricketer who is loved across the globe for his cricketing prowess, music expertise among others, it is South Africa’ AB De Villiers. 

He used to play for RCB in IPL, but retired from all formats of the game a few years ago. 

On the cricketing field, he used to mesmerise everyone with his unorthodox shots and immaculate keeping skills, but off it, he too is a human who suffers from anxiety disorders. He often used to spend sleepless nights before important games. 

In an interview with Cricket Times, he has revealed this starling info. 

“I can relate to this (Steve Smith) because I had similar issues before big games, really struggling to sleep. Sleeping tablets helped me fall asleep and it can become a problem after a while because the tablet only doesn’t make you sleep, it makes you feel really relaxed, takes a bit of anxiety away and you just feel in a very good space,” he was quoted by the website. 

ABD also quoted a specific instance of his sleeplessness. 

“I very clearly remember the game in the 2015 World Cup. It was the night before we played the West Indies. I actually ended up scoring a hundred which was very surprising – one of the best knocks of my life. But that night, I literally slept for 2-3 hours maximum. At 3 am, I got the doctor over to my room, got an injection and I just couldn’t sleep. I had stomach cramps and it was purely based around anxiety, stress and pressure, thinking about the next big game, which was a must-win for us,” he added.