Proteas superstars JP Duminy and Imran Tahir will never play ODI cricket in South Africa again.
And their final match on home soil was spoiled by floodlight failure at Newlands as South Africa won the fifth and final ODI against Sri Lanka by 41 runs thanks to the Duckworth/Lewis method.
Tahir already announced that the World Cup will be his final act for South Africa in the 50-over game.
Then Duminy, 34, also announced on Friday that he too will retire from 50-over cricket at the end of the World Cup, meaning the table was set for one of Newlands’ favourite sons to say goodbye on a high.
It wasn’t to be and with South Africa on 135/2 after 28 overs and chasing 226 for the win, floodlight failure brought an end to the game meaning Duminy never got the chance to bat.
WANTED MORE: Captain Du Plessis. Photo: Supplied
As captain Faf du Plessis says: “It’s been really nice to sit with the guys and give them a bit of a send-off.
“It’s two great servants of South African cricket. The game in Durban was also rain-affected, so that wasn’t - for Immy’s farewell - it wasn’t perfect.
“And tonight wasn’t perfect for JP. You look at games like this and you think you’re going to be the guy scoring a six off the last ball and the crowd is going to salute you.
“But it’s nothing like that for those two guys, you can just see they’re having fun and are enjoying their cricket.
GOODBYE: Imran Tahir is flanked by Rassie van der Dussen and Lungi Ngidi. Photo: BACKPAGEPIX
“Imran is having the best time of his life and that’s the kind of space we want to be in as a team; we want to play with freedom, guys must have fun on the field because then I feel that’s when they express themselves most.”
Tahir was still the most successful bowler for the Proteas, bagging 2/33, while youngster Anrich Nortje once again impressed with 2/35.
The Man of the Match award, however, went to Aiden Markram, who scored an unbeaten 67 at the top of the order as South Africa ended on 135/2.
MAN OF MATCH: Aiden Markram. Photo: BACKPAGEPIX
Duminy, known as Koppe, and Tahir will be back at Newlands, though, on Tuesday evening in the first of three T20Is against Sri Lanka at 6pm.