Former South Africa captain Dean Elgar joins English county Essex

Former South Africa opener Dean Elgar has joined Essex after calling time on his worldwide profession, the English county introduced on Friday.

Elgar ended his time as a South Africa participant earlier this month after 86 Tests and over 5,000 runs for the Proteas.

His last worldwide look final week noticed him captaining the Proteas who crashed to a seven-wicket defeat towards India in Cape Town in a recreation that lasted simply 642 balls – the shortest accomplished match in Test historical past.

The left-handed batter was an English County Championship winner with Surrey in 2018 and has additionally represented Somerset with whom he had been linked once more this time.

He will fill the void at Essex left by the retirement of former England captain Alastair Cook on the finish of final season.

“I’m thrilled to embark on this new chapter of my cricketing journey with Essex,” Elgar stated on Friday after signing a three-year contract with the group.

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“The club have been pushing for honours in recent years and I’m eager to contribute to further success.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my previous experiences in county cricket and I’m really looking forward to joining up with the squad ahead of the season.”

Essex completed as County Championship runner-up behind Surrey final season.

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath added: “He has had an outstanding career in Test cricket and has demonstrated to the world his desire to score runs at the highest level, right up until he retired.

“His achievements in the international arena speak volumes about his capabilities and we are excited to witness his impact at Essex.”