South African captain in the recent Test series against England, Faf du Plessis has stepped down from his coveted position in all formats of the game, effective immediately.
The 35-year old has led the Proteas in as many as 115 games (36 Tests, 39 ODIs, and 40 T20Is). In those matches, South Africa won 69 (18 Tests, 28 ODIs, and 23 T20Is).
Cricket South Africa (CSA) used their Twitter handle to break the news after they rested Du Plessis for the limited-overs series against England.
#BreakingNews @faf1307 has announced that he is stepping down from his role as captain of the Proteas’ Test and T20 teams effective immediately. #Thread pic.twitter.com/ol9HzpEOhZ
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) February 17, 2020
South Africa, after losing to England 3-1 in the Test series, also lost the T20I series 2-1, under the captaincy of their new leader Quinton de Kock. However, they did manage to level the ODI series with one game being washed out.
“When I took over the leadership, I did so with the commitment to lead, perform & 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 SA cricket to relinquish the captaincy,” Du Plessis told CSA in a statement.
South African cricket is currently witnessing a regime shift under the directorship of Graeme Smith and the mentorship of Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher.
Keeping an eye on the T20 World Cup of 2020, and the 2023 ODI World Cup, the management made the decision to appoint De Kock as the captain, previously.
“This was one of the toughest decisions to make, but I remain fully committed to supporting Quinton (de Kock), Mark (Boucher) and my teammates as we continue to rebuild and re-align as a group,” added the middle-order batsman.
Du Plessis remained in the center of the action, keeping the honor of South African cricket at the world stage, during a tumultuous period of transition, as well as indecision in administration.
“South African cricket has entered a new era. New leadership, new faces, new challenges, and new strategies. I remain committed to play in all three formats of the game for now as a player and will offer my knowledge and time to the new leaders of the team,” concluded the former South African captain.
