Dean Elgar, an experienced South African batsman, will cease his international career following the conclusion of the upcoming two-Test series against India. Cricket South Africa announced the 36-year-old’s decision on Thursday (December 22). With the games in Cape Town and Centurion concluding, Elgar’s 12-year career came to an end. During that time, he appeared in over 80 Tests, amassed over 5000 runs, and led the Proteas to victory 17 times in the longest form of the game.
“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 favorite stadium in the world. A place I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too,” Elgar was quoted as saying in a CSA release.
“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 debuted in the South Africa Test middle order during the 2012 Perth Test. Despite having earned a spot in the team by acing to the position with a nearly 60-run average in first class cricket the year prior, he infamously collected two failures. Two Tests later, against New Zealand, an unbeaten 103 in Johannesburg set him in motion.
He came into his own when he was promoted to accompany Graeme Smith at the top of the order. Elgar, a traditional, nimble opener, frequently delighted in attritional cricket and was even prepared to risk his body to occupy the crease so he could profit later against the older ball. During a period of bowling dominance in the sport, he amassed the first century of his kind by a South African opener in Galle in 2014. Over the subsequent few years, he developed into one of the greatest openers in the format.
His 160 against Ravindra Jadeja and R. Ashwin in Visakhapatnam highlighted his development as a Test batsman and the strides he had made against spin. Following his promotion to full-time Test captaincy in 2021, he presided over a Test series triumph in the West Indies and a 2021-22 comeback victory against India at home. However, South Africa’s performance plummeted as they suffered defeats in away matches against England and Australia. As a result, adjustments were inevitably made, and Temba Bavuma assumed leadership of the Test team.
As of the declaration of retirement, Elgar has accumulated 5146 runs across 84 Tests, averaging 37.28, with thirteen centuries. Additionally, he represented South Africa in eight ODIs, his last of which occurred in 2018.
