South African cricket is undergoing a renaissance with their Test skipper Faf du Plessis giving up captaincy and Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith, stating that Quinton de Kock will not be given the duties like in limited-overs cricket because of workload concerns. This leaves a rather inexperienced Proteas side with very few options on the captaincy front.

Read | Du Plessis quit as captain after one of his career's 'toughest' seasons

With that in mind, we look at four possible leaders for the Proteas in red ball cricket.

Dean Elgar

Having experience in leading the side before, Dean Elgar is South Africa's most glaring choice on the captaincy front. A gritty opener with natural leadership qualities, Elgar is probably as close to Graeme Smith, a successful Test captain, as it comes, and the Proteas might not think twice before handing him the job.

However, what could work against Elgar is his age and current form. More of a blip for the last couple of years, South Africa will want someone with more future in the role now that they are rebuilding.

Temba Bavuma

The incumbent ODI vice-captain, Temba Bavuma's career has been marred in controversy several times. The fact that he comes from a black background means his name would almost always be coupled with the ‘quota�?tag despite him justifying his position as a player.

A flamboyant batsman and a natural leader, Bavuma is a fine choice on the captaincy front but it is likely that the Proteas could face some backlash if that were to happen. Given that Bavuma isn't in the best of form either, this could also be a risky choice.

Rassie van der Dussen

At 32 years old, Rassie van der Dussen ought to be more experienced at the international level. Yet, he is only one series old in the format but could well be in line for a huge promotion on the job front.

Read | Four best Test knocks in the 2010s

Van der Dussen has played just four Test matches and moving him up to captain the side could be a big risk. But Graeme Smith himself took over without much captaincy and international experience and it turned out to be a brilliant decision for Proteas cricket.

Smith hinted at being open to taking a calculated risk on the captaincy matter in Test cricket and van der Dussen could fit the bill perfectly. His age isn't ideal but then again, with few options before them, the Proteas might be willing to compromise on that front.

Aiden Markram

Once hurried into the leadership role in limited-overs cricket, Aiden Markram struggled and lost form. His Test exploits have been brilliant so far and his talent is there for everyone to see. But he remains a home player primarily and his record against spinners and in Asia makes him really vulnerable to take on additional captaincy duties.

Markram perhaps needs to focus on his batting to truly realise his potential. South Africa need Markram to be their big batter across all formats in the next decade and burdening him with captaincy now could turn out to be a double-edged sword. They might ponder taking the plunge but it sure comes with dire consequences.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Christiaan Kotze

David Warner went to England and had a horror series with Stuart Broad silencing him entirely. KL Rahul did no better in West Indies and was promptly dropped from the team. Alastair Cook has retired and Dimuth Karunaratne and Kraigg Brathwaite aren’t converting a lot of their half-centuries. Tom Latham is perhaps the only name alongside Dean Elgar that comes up when discussing the best Test openers currently.

Dean Elgar, who was criticised for his “ugly�?batting and less attractive shot-making has proven that to makes runs at the highest level, all you need is grit, composure and the tenacity to weather tough periods and make use of the opportunities. At Visakhapatnam, the South African opener rescued his team from a precarious overnight score of 39/3 to help post 346 runs in the day’s play, the sixth most by a visiting team in India.

Elgar slammed a superb 160, his second century in Asia, to enhance his credentials as a Test opener. Giving him solid company was Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock. While the skipper made a half-century, de Kock went one step further and scored a hundred himself. Elgar, though, was the best South African batsman on the day.

He defended with authority and at the first sign of the ball being fuller, extended his arms to loft down the ground. Employing the cut, sweep and drive with equal ease, Elgar’s 160 will easily earn a place among the best ever tons by visiting openers in India. He is the first left-handed opener since Keaton Jennings to make a Test ton in India. He also became the first South African after Hashim Amla in 2010 to make a hundred here.

Elgar’s quality is best emphasized by his record across conditions.

Elgar in Tests in various conditions
Continent	Inns	Runs	Ave	100s	50s
in Africa	57	2282	45.64	7	10
in Asia	19	573	31.83	2	0
in Europe	8	291	36.37	1	2
in Oceania	13	426	32.76	2	1

The South African opener averages 45.6 at home where he has made seven of his 12 Test tons. In Europe and Australia �?New Zealand too, Elgar has shown authority and averages in the mid-30s, reasonable numbers for a Test opener in conditions where batting isn’t easy. He also has three hundreds in these continents combined.

In Asia, Elgar knocked off a superb ton in Sri Lanka in 2014. In 2015 in India, though, Elgar had an average series making 37, 16. 38, 7, 18, 17 and 4. In his last trip to the sub-continent �?Sri Lanka last year - Elgar faltered with scores of 8, 4, 0 and 37. As such, he was nearly written off for this tour but came back to show how good a batsman he is.

Best Test openers since 2016 by average (min 50 innings)
Player	Inns	Runs	Avg	100s	50s
D Elgar (SA)	63	2449	40.81	8	10
AN Cook (ENG)	70	2636	39.34	5	11
DA Warner (AUS)	56	2102	38.92	6	10
FDM Karunaratne (SL)	71	2678	38.81	6	16
KC Brathwaite (WI)	59	1855	34.35	4	10

Since 2016, no batsman with at least 50 innings at the top, averages more than Elgar. None of them have made more hundreds either. That the list includes promising players like Cook, Warner, Brathwaite and Karunaratne is testimony to Elgar’s quality.

Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Noah Seelam

Stand-in South African captain Dean Elgar said on Thursday he had given a "blunt message" to his players ahead of the third and final Test against Pakistan, starting at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.

"I spoke to the team yesterday and I told them that any complacency needs to be ironed out," said Elgar, who is standing in for the suspended Faf du Plessis. Elgar said South Africa were determined to complete a 3-0 clean sweep against the tourists.

S.Kodikara/AFP

There is a personal reason for Elgar to get a win as captain. His only previous international captaincy was in the first Test against England at Lord’s in 2017 when Du Plessis flew home to be at the birth of his first child.

South Africa were beaten in that match and Elgar admitted that he found the experience "chaotic".

"It was the start of a very big series with all the hype and media commitments, so I wasn’t really able to enjoy it," he said. 

"This time we’ve got the series in the bag and although it’s still a massive goal to win 3-0 there is a little less stress. I’m hoping to enjoy this experience."

Elgar said South Africa had been in position to finish off opponents in the final Tests of previous series, notably against India last year, but had let the opportunities slip.

South Africa will move up to second place on the International Cricket Council Test rankings, which Elgar said he regarded as "a massive opportunity".

Elgar said he was "pretty sure" opening batting partner Aiden Markram would play after undergoing a fitness test on Thursday.

He also hinted that South Africa would again opt to play four fast bowlers on a pitch which has usually favoured them. "It looks a good wicket and hopefully it will have pace and bounce."

Pakistan's 'fiery' fast-bowlers 

If South Africa went the all-seam route, Elgar said he would be aware of the problem of keeping up with the required over rate, following Du Plessis’s ban for a second over-rate offence in 12 months. "I will have to bowl a few overs," he said of his left-arm spin, "and (off-spinner) Aiden (Markram) may have to bowl a few overs too."

As an opening batsman, Elgar said he had been "mightily impressed" with Pakistan’s fast bowlers. "They come out with some fire. When conditions suit them, potentially they are up there with the best."

Pakistan batsman Azhar Ali said that although his team were disappointed to have lost the series, they hoped to bring their "A game" to the Wanderers. 

"Every Test match you play outside (the UAE) is important for us. Hopefully we can win this Test match and it will be very good for us, especially with the one-dayers coming up."

Pakistan play a series of five one-day internationals after the Tests.

"Any tour of South Africa you learn a lot," said Azhar. "It is always tough. We tried to plan for it and practise for it but unfortunately it did not go to plan. But there are still some things we think we have achieved. A few of the batsmen got stuck in and showed they can play on these wickets."

Despite being Pakistan’s most experienced batsman, Azhar has had a poor series, with only 44 runs in four innings.

"Coming into this series I had good confidence and the way I was playing in nets and in the side (warm-up) game I felt very good," he said.

"Unfortunately I didn’t perform but I still have one game to play and hopefully I can convert that good touch in the middle."

Azhar said the Wanderers pitch looked better for batting than those for the first two Tests. "It looks a better track. Yes, it has grass but in terms of cracks, I think they will widen much later than in the first two Test matches."

Opening batsman Dean Elgar will captain South Africa in the third and final Test against Pakistan, starting at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday, Cricket South Africa announced on Wednesday.

Elgar, 31, will stand in for regular captain Faf du Plessis, who was suspended for one match after South Africa fell short of the required over-rate during their nine-wicket win in the second Test at Newlands.

It was the second offence under Du Plessis’s leadership within a 12-month period.

It will be the second time Elgar has captained the side. He led South Africa in the first Test against England at Lord’s in 2017 when Du Plessis returned home for the birth of his first child.

South Africa have also called up uncapped Pieter Malan on standby for Elgar’s opening batting partner, Aiden Markram, who will undergo a fitness test on Thursday.

Markram suffered a badly bruised right thigh while fielding during the second Test at Newlands and was unable to bat in the second innings.

Malan, 29, has performed consistently as an opening batsman for the Cape Cobras franchise, scoring seven centuries during the past two seasons.

Feature image courtesy: Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP