Proteas Test captain Faf du Plessis is targeting the 2019 Cricket World Cup as his international swansong.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, Du Plessis said he intends playing all three formats until the 2019 World Cup before calling time on his international career.

‘I see myself heading towards the 2019 World Cup playing all formats of the game and then calling time on my career,’ Du Plessis said.

Du Plessis also weighed in on the issue of ODI captain AB de Villiers’ decision to take a break from test cricket to ensure he is still both mentally and physically fresh by the time the global showpiece begins.

‘I can’t sit and say he should be playing test cricket because the guy has been doing it for 12 years and 106 test matches. It translates to so much time away from home and people have to understand that there is a human side of the decision to consider,’ Du Plessis said.

‘However, from a cricket point of view, I would obviously be the first to say that AB needs to play tests for South Africa because he is one of the best batsmen in the world. For him, it’s about spending more time at home and getting to the 2019 World Cup. He wants to ensure he remains mentally fresh and his body is still going strong. I fully respect AB’s decision, but I don’t agree with it.’

He also stressed the need for CSA to provide greater financial security to its contracted players by offering multi-year contracts. This will deter players such as Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw from signing lucrative Kolpak deals which prevent them from playing international cricket.

‘CSA need to be proactive by paying more and offering longer contracts,’ Du Plessis said. ‘Stability is the key to success and you want to build a team that is going to take the country forward.’

CSA has since awarded multi-year contracts to Proteas youngsters Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada.