South Africa is all set to meet Australia for a T20I series and with less than a week to go for the series, the team was given a big blow. Faf du Plessis stepped down as South African captain for Tests and T20Is with immediate effect. Quinton de Cock will supposedly be taking charge of the Tests and T20I team.
In the recently concluded ODIs of South Africa against England, the player was replaced by Quinton de Kock as the captain. While he will be still available for selection as a batsman, the 32-year-old player has decided to call it a day for his leadership tenure.
"The last season of my captaincy has been the most challenging to date as I had a lot of off-field issues that I devoted my energy towards," he said in a statement.
"In a perfect world I would have loved to lead the team in the Tests for the rest of the season as well as the T20 World Cup, but sometimes the most important attribute of a leader is to be selfless.
"I am healthy, fit, energised and motivated and certainly see myself playing an important role in the squad for as long as I continue putting in winning performances for the team.
"(Captaincy) has been a rewarding, sometimes tough and other times a lonely road, but I would not replace the experience for anything, because it has made me the man that I am proud to be today."
"(Du Plessis) and Dale Steyn are the last survivors of the golden generation that took the Proteas to the top of the Test rankings and he still has a vital role to play as we bridge the gap between one generation and the next," said Cricket South Africa's acting CEO, Dr Jacques Faul.
"I am sure he will continue to add much value to the Proteas both on the field and in the dressing room in the final chapter of his outstanding career."
As the Proteas gear up to meet the Aussies, du Plessis and Kagiso Rabada are expected to make their comeback to the squad. The South African team will announce their 13-member squad for the T20Is on Tuesday.
