Image Credit- AFP
Dean Elgar is gone, taking with him a specific type of
cricket player from a specific era that we might not see again.
It would not be hyperbole to describe Elgar as one of
South Africa’s post-readmission originals. His whole professional career
aligned with the nation’s heyday in Test cricket, and even after the glitter
settled, he continued to be a shining light. With hundreds against all but two
of the opponents he faced, contributions to some of the team’s most cherished
victories, and status as one of the greatest Test-match South African batsmen
of all time, he will leave the international arena among his country’s top ten
scorers.
South Africa played 30 Test series between December
2006 and November 2015 and only lost two of them, both at home against
Australia. They won two away series against Australia and England during that
time. Elgar debuted on the international scene in 2012 during the second of the
team’s victories against Australia. He made his professional debut in 2006. By
the time he arrived in India in late 2015, the South African team had not lost
on the road for nine years. In that series, South Africa fell 3-0 and Kagiso
Rabada, the second most capped player behind Elgar in the current lineup, made
his debut, starting a collapse that some would claim is still ongoing.
Elgar only played a part in two of their nine amazing
years, but even so, he was the last to experience the true joy of winning.
Nevertheless, his rise to prominence on the global scene demonstrated that
South Africa’s domestic system generated talented athletes with the potential
for lengthy, prosperous careers.
Elgar’s senior players retired one per year of his
career, commencing with Jacques Kallis in 2013, as his Test career progressed,
and they were replaced with players lacking his breadth of experience.
Therefore, it was his obligation to act as both the attacker and the anchor. He
performed both tasks admirably.
Given that he bats left-hand and has more resemblance
to Graeme Smith than not, it was impossible to avoid comparisons. Similar to
Smith, Elgar’s method lacked aesthetic appeal, and the pleasure of witnessing
him perform resided in witnessing the triumph of the fight.
He was a streetwise and stubborn guy at the crease,
and he spoke up when he wanted to say something about a game. His two most
significant performances occurred in Perth in 2016 when a courageous century in
the second innings set Australia an unassailable target, and in Galle in 2014
when his 103 secured the first series victory on the island in over 20 years.
In addition to his runs, he provided Cricket South
Africa (CSA) with candour from the viewpoint of a player during a period of the
organization’s recovery from an administrative crisis that left it bereft of
sponsors and public trust. Elgar voiced his opinions about what he perceived as
a lack of support for team management during the SJN and later referred to the
focus on the disciplinary actions taken against director of cricket Smith and
then-head coach Mark Boucher as crap.
So there goes Dean Elgar, who may be among the last of
those who will look for their final cricket-playing pay cheques on the county
circuit as more and more players turn to T20 leagues instead. He is a certain
kind of player, from a certain time, and the end of his international career
marks the end of a certain era.