DU PLESSIS STEPS DOWN FROM SA CAPTAINCY

MOVE TO HELP EMERGENCE OF NEXT-GEN LEADERS, HE SAYS

JOHANNESBURG: Faf du Plessis announced on Monday that he was stepping down as South Africa’s cricket captain with immediate effect.

Du Plessis, 35, said he needed to take “a step back” from the captaincy in order to help the emergence of the next generation of leaders under Quinton de Kock.

De Kock led the team in recent one-day and Twenty20 internationals against England while Du Plessis was being rested.

It was announced last month that De Kock would be South Africa’s long-term one-day captain but in Monday’s statement, Du Plessis said he was also relinquishing the Test and T20 captaincy. The announcement clears the way for De Kock to lead South Africa at the T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November and possibly to lead the Test team in a two-match series in the West Indies in July and August.

In a statement issued by Cricket South Africa, Du Plessis said he wanted to concentrate on contributing to the team as a batsman and senior player.

Du Plessis captained South Africa in 112 matches across all formats, including 36 Tests.

He said his time away from cricket since the end of the Test series against England last month had given him “a lot of perspective”.

AB MUST PROVE: MARK

The retired AB de Villiers will be considered for a place in the South African T20 World Cup squad only if he shows good form and proves himself to be the “best man for the job”, says the team’s head coach Mark Boucher.

Soon after taking charge as South Africa’s head coach in December last year, Boucher said he may try to persuade a few recent retirees, including de Villiers, to return to the South Africa squad ahead of the T20 World Cup to be held in Australia in OctoberNovember.