Faf du Plessis steps down as South Africa’s Test, T20 captain

South African cricketer Faf du Plessis stepped down as captain of Proteas’ Test and T20 format with immediate effect.

Faf du Plessis in his statement said, “It’s a need to step back as skipper in order to facilitate the next leaders within the team under the leadership of Quinton de Kock.”

He said, “The last season of my captaincy has been the most challenging to date as I had a lot of off-field issues,” adding, “I have given my everything during my tenure as captain.”

It has been the greatest honour of my life to lead my country. Read my full statement here: https://t.co/QVRrvQGLmO pic.twitter.com/d5qH9pQJ9d

— Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) February 17, 2020

The former captain said, “The decision was tough but I will remain committed to newly-appointed captain Quinton de Kock,” adding that it has been the greatest honour of his life to lead South African team.

Director of South African Cricket also confirmed the appointment of Quinton de Kock as Captain.

He said, “South African cricket has entered a new era with new leadership, new faces, new challenges, and new strategies.”

He concluded that he remained committed to playing in all three formats of the game for now as a player and would offer his knowledge to the new leaders of the team.

It is worth mentioning here that Faf du Plessis was appointed as the captain in T20 cricket in 2012. In test cricket, he captained in 35 matches and won 18. In ODI cricket he captained 39 matches and won 28 and in T20 he won 23 matches from 37 as a captain.