Proteas Test batter and Titans star, Dean Elgar, has announced that he will retire from international cricket following the Betway Test series against India, which was concluded last weekend in Cape Town.

Elgar fittingly ended his international career with the two Test matches. In the first Test on his home ground at SuperSport Park in Centurion, he played a big role in the victory of the Proteas, when he scored 185 runs for South Africa in their first innings.

The 36-year-old has represented South Africa in 86 Tests and eight One-Day Internationals during a career that has spanned 12 years.

Since making his Test debut against Australia in 2012, he has gone on to score over 5000 runs at an average of 37.28, including 13 centuries and a career-best 199 against Bangladesh in 2017.

His contributions with the bat and gritty performances earned him the role of Test captain from May 2021 to January 2023, where he led the side to third place in the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship with a notable 2-1 series win over India at home in January 2022.  He also took over the captaincy from the injured Temba Bavuma for the second test against the Indians in Cape Town.

“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 when he announced his retirement.

He was very philosophical about his career and the opportunities he was given.

“All good things come to an end. I have made the decision to retire from our beautiful game, which  has given me so much. The Cape Town Test was my last and I consider it a privilege to end my career on my favourite stadium in the world. It is a place where I scored my first Test run against New Zealand and hopefully my last too,” he remarked.

Elgar also thanked his family for the time spent on the side of the field supporting and cheering him on and being his biggest fans.

SA Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, said Elgar represents a rare brand of cricketers in an age where everything is about innovation and 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. He was always there to take on the challenge, leading as captain when the country needed him most,” Nkwe concluded.

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