Two days after announcing his retirement from professional cricket at the end of the season, former South Africa Test captain Dean Elgar reached his 56th first class century.
Dean Elgar slams 56th first-class ton after announcing professional retirement
In a statement released by Essex, Elgar said: “I feel it’s the right time for me now. I’m not getting any younger, 39 years old, and I’ve got a lot of things going on back home with regards to a young but growing-up-very-quickly family. It’s the right time for me now to be present at home and be there for my partner and my kids.”
Elgar has represented Essex since 2024, joining the club shortly after announcing his international retirement at the end of 2023. He previously played county cricket for Somerset and Surrey. He scored more than 1,000 runs in his first Championship season at Essex, and average over 40 and scored two hundreds the following season.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗡 𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦! 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗔 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥!!
— Essex Cricket (@EssexCricket) August 28, 2026
Two days after announcing plans to retire from cricket, Dean Elgar brings up his 56th first-class century and it has been an absolutely crucial one 👏
🦅 #FlyLikeAnEagle pic.twitter.com/3AIDRysyJ9
Elgar announced his retirement on the eve of Essex's home Championship fixture against Surrey. Having bowled Surrey out for 183, Essex lost Paul Walter and Tom Westley in the first 20 overs of their response. Elgar, however, true to his stoic style, stayed firm. He reached 50 off 80 balls, before bringing up his second century of the season so far. He was eventually dismissed for 113.
His retirement brings to an end his two-decade-long career, starting when he captained South Africa U19s in the 2006 U19 World Cup, before making is senior international debut in 2012. He played 86 Test matches for South Africa, and scored a match-winning 185 in his penultimate Test match against India, having already announced his international retirement at the end of the series.
When he joined Essex months later, he took over Alastair Cook's role at the top of the order, and was named 'Batter of the Year' at the club awards at the end of the season.
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