Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis announces retirement from Test cricket
Johannesburg, Feb 17: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis on Wednesday announced his retirement from Test cricket to focus on the shorter formats with T20 being his priority.
The 36-year-old made the announcement through a statement on his instagram page.
"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 aspects. My heart is clear and time is right to walk into a new chapter," du Plessis posted.
"It has been an honour to play for my country in all formats of the game but the time has come for me to retire from Test cricket."
Du Plessis said his focus now shifts to T20 cricket but ODIs will also remain a part of his plans.
"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.
"I strongly believe I have a lot to offer to the Proteas in this format. This does mean that ODI cricket is no longer in the plans, I am just making T20 cricket priority in the short-term," he said.
Du Plessis played 69 Tests, scoring 4163 runs at an average of 40.02 including 10 hundreds and 21 fifties.
He stepped down as South Africa's Test and T20 captain last year after taking over from the charismatic A B de Villiers back in 2016.
"If someone had told me 15 years ago, that I would play 69 Test matches for South Africa and captain 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. Every high and low has shaped me into the man I am proud to stand up as today," he added.
Du Plessis had wanted to say goodbye to the longest format after the home series against Australia scheduled later this month but it has now been postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
View this post on Instagram
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Olympic hockey bronze medallist and sports icon Dr Vece Paes passes away
_vb_95.jpeg)
Kolkata (PTI): Dr. Vece Paes, a member of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games bronze-winning Indian hockey team and father of legendary tennis player Leander Paes, died here on Thursday morning. He was 80 years old.
Paes, who was suffering from advanced stage of Parkinson's disease, was admitted to a city hospital on Tuesday morning.
Paes, who donned multiple hats in his long association with Indian sports, was a midfielder in the Indian hockey team. He also played several sports such as football, cricket and rugby and served as the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002.
A sports medicine doctor, he worked as a medical consultant with several sports bodies including the Asian Cricket Council, the Board of Control for Cricket in India and the Indian Davis Cup team.
_vb_71.jpeg)
_vb_89.jpeg)