Johannesburg: Senior batsman Faf du Plessis on Monday stepped down as captain of South Africa’s Test and T20 teams with immediate effect, citing “the need to facilitate the emergence of next generation of leaders”.
The 35-year-old Du Plessis, who stepped aside from the ODI captaincy to make way for wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock during the recent series against England, said he took the decision to help South Africa start a new era.
“In a perfect world I would have loved to lead the team in the Tests for the rest of the season as well as the T20 World Cup,” du Plessis said in a statement.
“But sometimes the most important attribute of a leader is to be selfless. I am healthy, fit, energised and motivated and certainly see myself playing an important role in the squad for as long as I continue putting in winning performances for the team,” he added.
“When I took over the leadership, I did so with the commitment to lead, perform and most importantly, to serve. As the team heads into a new direction with new leaders and a young crop of players, I feel it will be in the best interests of South African cricket to relinquish the captaincy in all formats.”
Du Plessis was rested from the three-match T20 series against England which South Africa lost 1-2 on Sunday. His decision comes less than a week before South Africa’s three-match T20 campaign against Australia, starting here on Friday followed by three ODIs against the same opposition. “The last few weeks of rest away from the game have given me a lot of perspective on the great privilege and honour I have had in representing and leading my country in the three formats of this wonderful game,” du Plessis said. (PTI)
