Dean Elgar to retire from international cricket

South Africa’s veteran opening batter Dean Elgar has announced that he will retire from international men’s cricket following his team’s upcoming Test series against India, bringing an end to a career spanning 12 years. In a statement by Cricket South Africa (CSA), Elgar, the former former skipper will end his international career by playing at his home ground, SuperSport Park, in Centurion from December 26 to 30 and at and Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, from January 3 to 7, also the venue where he scored his first Test runs. “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 the statement. Elgar, 36, has represented South Africa in 84 Tests, which will become 86 on his international retirement and eight ODIs. Since making his Test debut against Australia in 2012, Elgar scored 5146 runs at an average of 37.28, including 13 centuries and a career-best 199 against Bangladesh in 2017. “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.” “I also want to take the opportunity to thank Cricket South Africa for investing in me from an early age and giving me the honour of representing my country. I am truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve received since U18 to date,” he added. Elgar al