Former South Africa captain and star opening batter in red-ball format, Dean Elgar has announced that he will retire from international cricket after the upcoming two-match Test series at home against India. Elgar, who has been one of South Africa's pillars in Test cricket, has communicated his decision to Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the national cricket board revealed the news in a release on December 22.
“Playing the game of cricket has always been a dream of mine but having the opportunity to represent your country is the ultimate! 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," Elgar said in a CSA release.
“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.
“Having the opportunity to represent my country and the learnings I’ve had along my journey is something I’ll always be thankful for. It’s most definitely been the best learning experience of my life," he added.
The 36-year-old Elgar will conclude his distinguished 12-year career after the series against India. Over his tenure, he participated in more than 80 Test matches, amassed over 5,000 runs, and captained the Proteas in 17 of these encounters in the game's longest format. The upcoming matches in Centurion and Cape Town will mark the end of his remarkable journey in international cricket.
Overall, Elgar has so far represented South Africa in 84 Tests and eight ODIs. Elgar tasted immense success in red-ball cricket and he averages 37.28 with the bat in Test cricket. He also has 13 centuries to his name in Tests.
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