AB de Villiers appointed as Tshwane Spartans captain in South Africa T20 league

Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has been appointed as the captain of the Tshwane Spartans for the upcoming edition of the Mzansi Super League.

Expressing excitement over the development, the 34-year-old said that it is an "honour" representing a team in the opening edition of the tournament.

"It's a huge honour to captain this team in the first Mzansi Super League. I'm really excited to work with this group of players - there's a lot of talent, with a great balance between youth and experience," Sport24 quoted De Villiers, as saying.

Talking about his captaincy techniques ahead of the league, the former skipper said that he would be banking upon his past experiences.

"I will try to lead from the front and rely on the experience I've picked up over the years. I believe I'm a decent man manager when it comes to understanding players' strengths and weaknesses. I'm looking forward to it. It's an exciting challenge and I'm ready for it," he said.

In May, De Villiers had announced his retirement from the international cricket. He is considered to be the greatest batsman of his time, having appeared in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20I for the national side.

He finished his career with an incredible 20,014 international runs, including 8,765 in Tests, 9,577 in ODIs and 1,672 in T20Is.

Mzansi Super League is slated to be held from November 16 to December 16.

-ANI