Luke Alfred
South African freelance sportswriter
When Dean Elgar was made Proteas Test skipper in March 2021, eyebrows were raised. Not so much in doubt, more in exasperation. Since Graeme Smith called time on his illustrious tenure eight years ago, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock have all tried to fill his sizeable shoes, and none of them were quite right. When they turned next to Elgar, the cranky battler approaching his mid-30s, with a reputation for speaking his mind and no great charm or charisma, South African supporters were left wondering: is this really the best the selectors can do?