Dean Elgar will captain the Proteas in the final Test against Pakistan at the Wanderers, while Pieter Malan will be on standby as an Aiden Markram replacement.

After the controversial announcement from the ICC that Faf du Plessis would be suspended due to slow over rate, this in a match that finished in just over three days, the Proteas were posed with the problem of who should skipper the side in the final Test against Pakistan.

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CSA announced on Wednesday that Elgar would be the stand-in captain in place of Du Plessis for the final Test at the Wanderers Stadium on Friday.

This will be the second time that Elgar will captain the Proteas after he stood in for Du Plessis in the first Test against England at Lords in 2017 when Du Plessis attended the birth of his child.

The selectors have also put uncapped Cape Cobras opening batsman Pieter Malan on standby for Aiden Markram, who has a right thigh injury sustained while fielding in the previous Test match at Newlands.

Markram will undergo a fitness test tomorrow to determine whether he can play.

‘The appointment of Elgar as stand-in captain is part of our strategy to develop our pool of leaders,’ said CSA national selection panel (NSP) convener Linda Zondi. ‘We have previously used Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock in this role in ODI matches and Dean has previously captained the Proteas at Test match level against England at Lord’s in 2017.

‘Pieter Malan has an outstanding track record in four-day domestic cricket over the past two seasons, having made more than 1700 runs, including 7 centuries. He has also made the step up to South Africa A level, first against Australia and then against India A on the sub-continent,’ concluded Zondi.

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