Former South Africa captain Dean Elgar has said that he will retire from international cricket after playing the two-match Test series against India at home. Elgar is set to conclude his international career following the Test series against India at home, as announced by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Friday, December 22nd.
“Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate!” Elgar said in his statement. “Having had the privilege to do it for 12 years internationally is simply beyond my wildest dreams. It has been an incredible journey that I have been fortunate enough to have.
“As they say, ‘all good things come to an end’, and the Indian home series will be my last, as I have made the decision to retire from our beautiful game. A game that has given me so much. The Cape Town Test will be my last. My favourite stadium in the world. A place I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too.”
Elgar is set to play 86 Test matches after featuring in both games against India, marking a 12-year career that has seen him accumulate 5146 runs. This places him as South Africa’s eighth-highest run-scorer in Test cricket, with only eight players crossing the 5000-run mark. He trails Mark Boucher, the seventh-highest, by 352 runs.
However, his decision to play these Tests means he’ll miss South Africa’s two-Test series in New Zealand. This absence creates a challenge as key players will be engaged in the SA20 league, leaving the team with a makeshift lineup. Elgar, without an SA20 deal, would have been a valuable addition and potentially considered for captaincy in Temba Bavuma’s stead. Instead, the Titans’ batsman Neil Brand is anticipated to lead the squad, partnering with Tony de Zorzi at the top of the batting order. This pairing showcased their opening prowess for South Africa A against West Indies A in a recent three-match series.
