“Making T20 cricket the priority in the short-term” keeping in mind the two World Cups, he says
Faf du Plessis, the former South Africa captain, has retired from Test cricket after 69 appearances in the format. With no Test cricket in the immediate future for South Africa, du Plessis wants to “walk into a new chapter” and focus his energies and attention primarily on T20 cricket, keeping in mind the two World Cups scheduled in 2021 and 2022.
“It has been a year of refinement in the fire for us all. Uncertain were the times, but they brought clarity for me in many respects. My heart is clear and the time is right to walk into a new chapter. It has been an honour to play for my country in all the formats of the game, but the time has come for me to retire from Test cricket,” du Plessis said in a statement posted on his Instagram account. “If someone had told me 15 years ago, that I would play 69 Test matches for South Africa and captain the side, I wouldn’t have believed them.
“I stand in a place of utmost gratitude for a Test career full of blessings bestowed on me. Every high and low has shaped me into the man I am proud to stand up as today. In all things, those instances worked towards the good of who I believe I am today.”
du Plessis, now 36, made his Test debut in Adelaide on South Africa’s 2012-13 tour, and was named the Player of the Match for his 78 and 110 not out in a memorable draw – du Plessis’ stonewalling helped South Africa bat out four-and-a-half sessions on a wearing pitch. He went on to hit ten centuries and 21 half-centuries in Tests, ending with 4163 runs at an average of 40.02.
“The next two years are ICC T20 World Cup years. Because of this, my focus is shifting to this format and I want to play as much of it as possible around the world so that I can be the best player I can possibly be”
Faf du Plessis
He became the Test captain, succeeding AB de Villiers, in 2016, and led South Africa in 36 Tests, before stepping down in February 2020 after the home series against England, which South Africa lost 3-1. du Plessis finished with a decent Test captaincy record, with 18 wins and 15 losses, the defeats piling up more towards the latter bit of his stint after South Africa had won 17 of the first 27 Tests he had led in. Between the start of 2019 and the end of his tenure, South Africa lost eight Tests, a run that began with the 2-0 home defeat to Sri Lanka in February 2019.
du Plessis, a veteran of 143 ODIs and 50 T20Is, will continue to be available for selection in both the limited-overs formats, and has said that he is keen to be a part of the action at the T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held later this year in India.
“The next two years are ICC T20 World Cup years. Because of this, my focus is shifting to this format and I want to play as much of it as possible around the world so that I can be the best player I can possibly be,” he said. “I strongly believe that I have a lot to offer to the Proteas in this format. This does not mean that ODI cricket is no longer in the plans, I’m just making T20 cricket the priority in the short-term.
“I will be in conversation with CSA over the next couple of months on what the future might look like for me over the next year to find a solution that works for both of us.”
More to follow…