Veteran Elgar stirs himself into Proteas Test captaincy melting pot

The Proteas Test captaincy has now become a melting pot of intriguing candidates, with Dean Elgar the latest player to stick his hand up for the role.

At 33, the gritty opening batsman is the oldest and most experienced option among a group of hopefuls that includes Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Rassie van der Dussen and Keshav Maharaj.

"It's definitely not an easy journey being a Test captain but I think leadership is something that comes extremely naturally to me," said Elgar.

"I've captained teams in the past, right up from school level to provincial level and then at a few franchise teams. I really enjoyed it."

The left-hander's hard-nosed attitude and ability to deliver sterling performances in difficult situations is certainly an appealing trait, particularly when it's taken into account that the national team are expected to blood various rookies in the next year or so.

Elgar has previously deputised twice for Faf du Plessis as skipper in the pinnacle form of the game, losing the first Test against England at Lord's in 2017 and then winning the third Test against Pakistan at the Wanderers two years later.

Admittedly the sample isn't big, but there will be reservations over how the added responsibility of leadership will affect one of a fragile Test batting order's most reliable performers.

He was typically compact in scoring 54 in the first innings at Lord's, but was dismissed for two in the second and only made a pair of fives against the Pakistanis.

But there shouldn't be any doubt over his commitment to the role should it be handed to him.

"If I was asked to do the captaincy it's definitely something I'd think long and hard about because it would really mean a lot to me," said Elgar.

Given the expected stiff competition though, he's far too experienced to be holding any potential grudges should the Proteas brains trust opt to go in a different direction.

"Captaincy is not a job interview, you're not handing in a CV. You've got to respect the people making the decisions and whichever way they choose, it's ultimately their choice and you respect it. But yeah, I'll definitely have a think about it if it's in any way up for negotiation."

- Compiled by Heinz Schenk