VIDEO | Van der Dussen bows out of Proteas, leaves lasting legacy

Rassie van der Dussen brought the curtain down on Thursday on an international career that required resilience and left a mark amid the turbulent environment in which many of his 146 matches for the Proteas were played.

“To have played for my country has been the greatest honour of my life,” Van der Dussen wrote in a post on Instagram when announcing his decision.

The 37-year-old featured in 18 Tests, 71 ODIs and 57 T20 Internationals matches, and in a quirky showing of his mental strength he made a half-century on his international debut in all three formats.

Most of his Proteas career took place amid upheaval at Cricket SA (CSA), when the administration completely collapsed in 2019, followed by the Covid-19 pandemic and thenmore controversy stirred up by the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings.

Van der Dussen was one of few white players in the Proteas team at the time who opted to “take a knee” and offered his support to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in 2020.

“In South Africa, BLM has been a sensitive topic in the past two weeks,” he said in an interview in 2020. “I felt I wanted to say where I stand. I knew it would upset a lot of people. If you stay quiet, you also get criticised. For the wrong reason, stillness gets seen as going against the movement in some ways, which is not the case.

“I felt I needed to speak out, because that is how I feel and there are a lot of people who feel that way. In the Afrikaans world, there are people who think like me and a lot who don’t. I felt I was in a position where, whichever way you go, you’re probably going to get some criticism.”

“I would rather be criticised for doing the right thing than not doing anything at all.”

Van der Dussen made his Test debut against England in 2019, at the start of CSA’s collapse, when then CEO Thabang Moroe was sanctioned and an interim board was appointed. The Proteas won that Test, with Van der Dussen making a second-innings 51 after the team had slumped to 62/4.

One of the great regrets of his international career is the absence of a Test hundred. The closest Van der Dussen came was the 98 he made in the second innings of the fourth Test in that same series.

Aside from being part of the winning team at Lord’s in 2022, arguably the highlight of his Test career was the come-from-behind series win against a powerful India in 2022. Covid restrictions meant no crowds were allowed in stadiums and having lost the first Test in Centurion, the Proteas bounced back at the Wanderers and then won a thrilling match at Newlands with Van der Dussen and Temba Bavuma sharing an unbeaten partnership of 57 for the fourth wicket to seal a seven-wicket victory.

The best of Van der Dussen was seen in the ODI format, where he averaged 50.13, scored six hundreds, was named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year in 2021 and was part of two World Cup squads. He made two centuries in the 2023 tournament, where South Africa were knocked out in the semifinals.

There is no feeling quite like hearing ‘MaThousand’ called out on the streets or the spine-tingling experience of walking out to bat at a packed Wanderers Stadium to the deafening roar of Fokofpolisiekar’s ‘Antibiotika’

—  Rassie van der Dussen

In 57 T20 Internationals, he scored 10 half-centuries and captained a young side in Zimbabwe last year.

“Growing up in a household of four brothers the Proteas badge was always held as something sacred. We lived and breathed the game together. and to be the one to carry our family name onto the international stage was a responsibility I was proud to embrace,” Van der Dussen wrote on Thursday.

“To the people of South Africa and the fans: thank you. There is no feeling quite like hearing ‘MaThousand’ called out on the streets or the spine-tingling experience of walking out to bat at a packed Wanderers Stadium to the deafening roar of F*kofpolisiekar’s Antibiotika.”

Faf du Plessis, Lungi Ngidi, Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada and Heinrich Klaasen were among those who paid tribute to Van der Dussen, along with Lions bowling coach Allan Donald.

“Rassie’s legacy in the green and gold extends beyond his on-field performances. He was a strong senior voice in the changeroom who helped drive team culture and standards and always led by example,” said CSA’s director of national teams, Enoch Nkwe.

“He truly embodied what it meant to be a Protea. He put the team first and always supported those around him. We thank him for everything he has contributed to the badge.”

Van der Dussen will be available for the Lions domestically.

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