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Cape Town - Former Proteas batsman AB de Villiers will play the role of ambassador for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) T20x tournament.
De Villiers announced his shocking retirement in May, citing fatigue and stated that it was the "right time" to call time on his 14-year international cricket career.
READ: AB 'very happy' to step away from Proteas pressure
De Villiers will not take part in the tournament as a player and as an ambassador, he is expected to interact with the players.
"I've always been a fan of helping some of the Associate nations," De Villiers told The Independent in an exclusive interview last week.
"You've seen some fantastic talent coming through of late: Rashid Khan, one of the best leg-spinners in the world at the moment. I believe it'll go from strength to strength."
"I don't understand why people are negative about cricket," he said.
"I believe it's in a great place. There are some areas that we need to balance out, and the ICC (International Cricket Council) have a big role to play in that. T20 has changed the face of the game. It's brought so many different people to the game, and made the awareness around the world so much bigger.
"I love Test cricket, and I think it's going nowhere. But the ICC has a really big role to play in making sure all the formats survive."
The five-team UAE tournament, the first season of which will take place from December 19 this year to January 11, 2019, is being organised by the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB).
The organisers are expecting a fair smattering of top-drawer international players, but the stated objective is to try and develop the game in the region.
The UAE are currently ranked 14th in the ICC ODI team rankings.
Say hello to Mr. 360!Cricket legend and #UAET20x global ambassador @ABdeVilliers17 has a message to cricket fans in the UAE and across the world.Follow us to find out more about the UAE's first international T20 league. pic.twitter.com/8U2CGQouN6
— UAE T20X (@UAET20X) August 14, 2018
