Overview
- Elgar announced his decision through Essex on Wednesday and will remain available for the county’s final five Championship matches, beginning with the Chelmsford fixture against Surrey.
- The 39-year-old said he is stepping away to spend more time with his partner and young children and that he feels now is the right moment to stop playing professionally.
- Across a 12-year Test career he played 86 matches and scored 5,347 runs with 14 centuries, and he has amassed 18,981 first-class runs, sitting just short of 19,000.
- He built a reputation as a resilient, old-fashioned opener who carried his bat three times in Tests and served as stand-in captain for South Africa, with the Lord’s victory in 2022 among his proudest moments.
- Essex director Chris Silverwood praised Elgar’s leadership and mentorship to younger players, and the club will now need to plan for a long-term opening solution after his departure.