Faf du Plessis has announced his retirement from test cricket. In announcing his decision to drop the game’s longer format on Wednesday, Du Plessis said he wants to focus on the shorter format for the next two years.
“My heart is clear and the time is right to enter a new chapter,” Du Plessis said in an Instagram post.
Du Plessis assumed the captaincy of Test in 2016 and led the team in 36 games before resigning from the leadership last January. He finished last year with a hit of 199 against Sri Lanka, his highest score in the format. The coup had been announced to be a message to critics of his testing career.
Du Plessis ends his test run with 4163 runs in the longest format, scored at an average of 40.02, involving 10 centuries and 21 fifties.
“If someone had told me 15 years ago that I would play 69 test matches for South Africa and be the captain of the team, I would not have believed it. I am in a place of utmost gratitude for a test run full of blessings bestowed upon me, ”Du Plessis said in the post.
He further said: “The next two years are T20 WC years. Because of this my focus is shifting to this format and I want to play as much as possible around the world so that I can be the best player I can be.
“I firmly believe that I have a lot to offer Proteas in this format. This does not mean that ODI cricket is no longer in the plans. I’m just making T20 cricket the short-term priority. “
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