Johannesburg: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis on Wednesday (February 17) announced his retirement from Test cricket to focus on his career in the shorter formats with T20 being the priority. The 36-year-old made the announcement through a statement on his official social media handle.
“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 aspects. My heart is clear and time is right to walk into a new chapter,” Du Plessis said.
“It has been an honour to play for my country in all formats of the game but the time has come for me to retire from Test cricket. The next two years are ICC T20 World Cup years. Because of this my focus is shifting to this format 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.”
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‘I strongly believe I have a lot to offer to the Proteas in this format. This does mean that ODI cricket is no longer in the plans, I am just making T20 cricket priority in the short-term.”
He stepped down as South Africa’s Test and T20 captain last year after taking over from the charismatic A B de Villiers back in 2016 and led the side in 36 matches before relinquishing leadership last January after a home series defeat to England.
Du Plessis played 69 Tests matches. He completes his Test career with 4163 runs at an average of 40.02. Notably, Faf is the 10th-highest scorer for South Africa in Test cricket.
