'I became a part-time cricketer & full-time politician': Dean Elgar rips apart Cricket South Africa

South African cricketer Dean Elgar competed in his final Test against India, which ended in a draw. One of the finest Proteas cricketers, Elgar led the red-ball side as the skipper and did a decent role as the team jumped up in the World Test Championship rankings elevating the team to a firm position. But the former International cricketer has made a startling revelation that the South African Cricket atmosphere was noxious during the time when he was axed from captaincy. He also slammed the improper administration and the involvement of politics in the game.

Also Read: 'He should be taking responsibility': Irfan Pathan BLASTS Dhoni, argues he fails to fulfil his role

Dean Elgar makes SENSATIONAL claims, says CSA was toxic when he took over as Test skipper  

Dean Elgar is currently active in county cricket as the 26-year-old is competing for Essex after announcing his retirement from International cricket. However, his time in Cricket South Africa as a skipper wasn't a pleasant affair. The former Proteas skipper offered his brutal admission during an interview with Rapport newspaper after his contract expired with the South African Cricket Board. Following his appointment as the skipper in March 2021, Elgar disclosed that he was exposed to a toxic culture. He also stated that he felt "stabbed in the back" when he was unceremoniously removed from his commanding position a year ago. 

"I became a part-time cricketer and full-time politician, something that I never want to go through again.

"I am a sportsman, not a politician or a cricket administrator, but I was thrown into a cauldron in which I had to be all three. If I had known that before, I would never have accepted the captaincy," Elgar revealed.

Also Read: Jonty Rhodes gives standing ovation to Krishnappa Gowtham for stunning catch - WATCH

The former South African cricketer revealed that his time in CSA was getting arduous, and his performance took a wide dip even though the Proteas were improving day by day.

"I tried to make the best of a bad job, to control the things I could control. But my own form took a dive.

"It felt as though they did not recognise all my hard work over the previous year-and-a-half, that they didn´t realise how much we had improved as a team," said Elgar.

The former skipper feels the reason for his cut-shorted Test career was the appointment of Shukri Conrad.

Temba Bavuma replaced Dean Elgar as the skipper after Shukri Conrad was appointed as the team's head coach. He holds no ill will and had a good relationship with Bavuma, under whom he competed in his final Test series against India. He also captained the series' final Test match after Bavuma was injured.