Former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar announced on Friday his intention to retire from international cricket following a Test series against India set to commence next week.
The 36-year-old, boasting over 5,000 Test runs and 13 centuries, will culminate his career in the upcoming Test at Newlands ground in Cape Town, commencing on January 3rd.
“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,” Elgar declared.
“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.”
According to media reports, his decision came after Elgar was informed that he was not included in coach Shukri Conrad’s long-term plans.
Elgar debuted against Australia 12 years ago, failing to score in either innings.
Since then, he has gained a reputation as a resilient batsman, accumulating 5,146 runs, placing him as South Africa’s eighth highest scorer. His personal best was a score of 199 against Bangladesh in 2017.
From May 2021 until January this year, Elgar captained the team, guiding South Africa to third place in the previous year's World Test Championship. They notably achieved a 2-1 home series victory over India under his leadership.
Cricket South Africa chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said Elgar has “represented his country with honour”.
“His grittiness and determination are two qualities that really stood out; and these are attributes that all South Africans can relate to.”
Director of cricket Enoch Nkwe added that in the current age of power-hitting, “he is a real old-school cricketer that can dig in, absorb and fight. I have no doubt the game will dearly miss him.
“He has always given everything for his country and never showed any fear, no matter the opposition.”
