Dean Elgar, former South Africa Test captain, made an announcement on Friday about retiring from international cricket following the upcoming Test series against India, beginning next week.
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At 36 years old, with an impressive track record of over 5,000 Test runs and 13 centuries, Elgar will wrap up his career during the Test at Newlands ground in Cape Town starting on January 3rd.
In his own words, Elgar stated, “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.”
Sharing his sentiment, he mentioned, “The Cape Town Test will be my last. My favorite stadium in the world. A place I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too.”
Reports suggest that Elgar’s retirement decision followed being informed of his exclusion from coach Shukri Conrad’s future plans.
Elgar’s journey began 12 years ago against Australia, where he didn’t manage to score in either innings. Since then, he’s been known as a resilient batsman, accumulating 5,146 runs and ranking as South Africa’s eighth-highest scorer. His top performance was a score of 199 against Bangladesh in 2017.
Between May 2021 and January this year, Elgar led the team as captain, steering South Africa to third place in the World Test Championship and notably securing a 2-1 home series victory over India.
Pholetsi Moseki, the chief executive of Cricket South Africa, praised Elgar’s representation of the country, highlighting his grit and determination, qualities that resonate with South Africans.
Enoch Nkwe, the director of cricket, expressed admiration for Elgar’s traditional approach in an era of power-hitting, acknowledging his resilience and commitment to the game, qualities that will be missed.
Dean Elgar’s retirement marks the end of an era for South African cricket, leaving behind a legacy of dedication and unwavering determination on the field.