After talks about his retirement did the rounds, South African skipper Faf du Plessis has stepped down as the skipper of both Test and T20I teams with immediate effect.

Du Plessis' decision to step down from the position came after South Africa slumped to defeats in both Test and T20I series against England recently.

While announcing the news, the 35-year-old said that he has decided to take a step back from the leadership role in order to allow the emergence of the next generation of skippers. Talking about stepping down as captain, du Plessis said that he made the 'tough' decision in the best interests of the South African team.

“When I took over the leadership, I did so with the commitment to lead, perform and most importantly, to serve. As the team heads into a new direction with new leaders and a young crop of players, I feel it will be in the best interests of South African cricket to relinquish the captaincy in all formats. This was one of the toughest decisions to make, but I remain fully committed to supporting Quinton, Mark (head coach Mark Boucher) and my teammates as we continue to rebuild and re-align as a group," Cricket South Africa (CSA) official website quoted Du Plessis as saying. 

This year is a jam-packed international calendar which also includes the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Keeping the various events in mind du Plessis decided to shift his focus entirely on contributing to the team as a senior batsman.

“I have strived to lead the team with dignity and authenticity during exhilarating highs and devastating lows. I have given my everything during my tenure. I have never been one to throw in the towel and do believe I am putting the team first and believe we have to stick through the tough times to get to the good times. In a perfect world, I would have loved to lead the team in the Tests for the rest of the season as well as the T20 World Cup, but sometimes the most important attribute of a leader is to be selfless. I am healthy, fit, energized and motivated and certainly see myself playing an important role in the squad for as long as I continue putting in winning performances for the team," Du Plessis stated. 

“South African cricket has entered a new era. New leadership, new faces, new challenges, and new strategies. I remain committed to playing in all three formats of the game for now as a player and will offer my knowledge and time to the new leaders of the team," the experienced batsman added. 

Du Plessis was roped in as the skipper in all three formats in December 2012. He led the side in a total of 112 international matches and since his appointment, the batsman notched up 5,101 runs in all formats, including 11 centuries and 28 half-centuries. 

During his tenure, he guided South Africa to several famous victories, including the team’s five-match ODI series 5-0 and 2-1 Test series victories against Australia in 2016.