Dean Elgar: The writing was on the wall

Dean Elgar says he was being “wasted as a person and as a cricketer” due to the lack of Test cricket played by the Proteas.

In a wide-ranging interview with ESPNcricinfo, the 36-year-old opening batsman revealed that he had decided in February 2023 – after being replaced as Test captain by Temba Bavuma – that he would retire after the home series against India in December 2023/January 2024.

Dean Elgar says he was being “wasted as a person and as a cricketer” due to the lack of Test cricket played by the Proteas. https://t.co/TALSy384FF

— SA Cricket magazine (@SACricketmag) March 28, 2024

Elgar scored 185 in his penultimate Test, in Centurion, after taking over the captaincy from an injured Bavuma on the morning of day one. The Proteas won the match by an innings and 32 runs, before losing the second Test at Newlands by seven wickets.

“My mind was made up long ago about where my future was, or how it looked back home,” said Elgar. “I always want to play and challenge myself at the highest level, but we didn’t have enough Test matches and that’s where I felt I was actually getting wasted as a person and as a cricketer.

“I saw the writing on the wall a year ago. It’s got nothing to do with the SA20, I think that’s a great tournament for us for SA cricket, because I know it brings in good money. Unfortunately, it does take away international duties. And it’s a balancing act of what the administrators want.

“I am not an administrator, I’m a player. I know what I want as a player. But I’ve also been part of the system in South Africa long enough to get a sense of potentially where things are going.”

Elgar also revealed the role Proteas spinner Simon Harmer – who has represented Essex since 2017 – played in him signing for the English county.

“Me and Harmy have known each other for well over 15 years. Obviously we were teammates back home when he was in the Proteas squad as well. And the whole conversation came about when we’re having a braai at my house.

“For me that was a direct line of communication. When he heard the prospect of me retiring, he brought it to Essex and spoke to the powers-that-be about what my plans were looking like. It was just an easy, direct conversation to have with him.

“As a young kid playing professional cricket, I always had a vision of ending my career playing county cricket. I’m a British passport holder – my mum and brother live in Sussex – so that was always something that I that I was looking to do, irrespective of how things look back home.”