South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis on Wednesday announced his decision to retire from Test cricket.
“My heart is clear and the time is right to walk into a new chapter,” the former South Africa captain wrote in a post on Instagram. He also shared a statement on his decision to retire.
He said that he wants to focus on the shortest format of the game.
“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 respects. My heart is clear and the time is right to walk into a new chapter. It has been an honour to play for my country in all the formats of the game, but the time has come for me to retire from Test cricket,” he wrote in the statement.
“If someone had told me 15 years ago, that I would play 69 Test matches for South Africa and captained the side, I wouldn’t have believed them. I stand in a place of utmost gratitude for a Test career full of blessings bestowed on me,” he added.
"The next two years are ICC T20 World Cup years. Because of this, my focus is shifting to 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,” he wrote.
Du Plessis made his Test debut in November 2012 against Australia in Adelaide. He scored 78 in the first innings and followed it up with his maiden Test century in the second.
He has captained South Africa in 36 Tests and scored 10 Test centuries.
The right-hand batsman’s last match in the longest format of the game was against Pakistan in Rawalpindi earlier this month. He has represented South Africa in 69 Tests and scored 4,163 runs at an average of 40.02. He smashed his highest score of 199 in 2020.