The future is up to administrators making the right decisions for the players, says South Africa’s Dean Elgar

Dean Elgar bids farewell to Test cricket with a final match as captain, hoping to go out on a winning note. Dean Elgar bids farewell to Test cricket with a final match as captain, hoping to go out on a winning note. A tenacious opener, he served South African cricket for over a decade with pride and grit.

Cricket will miss Dean Elgar. A tenacious opener, he served South African cricket for over a decade.

The second Test against India, starting at Cape Town’s picturesque Newlands Cricket Ground on Wednesday, will be his last. And he will be the captain for his swan song (he is standing in for the injured Temba Bavuma). It was as if destiny willed the opener to have this honour. Few men have held a cricket bat with as much pride and grit.

Elgar wants to go out on a winning note.

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“There is no bigger honour than to captain your country irrespective of who you are playing against, but being against India maybe adds a little bit more flavour to it because India are the powerhouse nation in the world,” said Elgar on the eve of his final Test match. “We currently see it as a great opportunity where I can influence and try and get a 2-0 win. It’s about taking those players and we are all moving in the same direction. So, hopefully, it all works out for us and we are able to secure a series win.”

Elgar isn’t thinking too much about the occasion. “For me, it is business as usual,” he said. “I think the emotions will only set in after this game. It is a massive Test for us, being our highlight of the year: the New Year’s Test at Newlands. For me, it is another game where we really have to make a solid start. We will worry about the retirement afterwards.”

He is, however, worried about the status of Test cricket in South Africa, though. The South African team that will tour New Zealand for a two-Test series has only seven capped players, because many of the stars are unavailable because of the SA20 tournament.