Faf du Plessis has been through hell and back this past season.
It culminated in the 35-year-old saying aikhona, ek kan nie meer die span lei nie.
The batsman made that decision public in February after too much negative energy was directed his way.
Du Plessis explains: “The season gone by has probably been up there as one of the toughest I’ve had in my career. That was due to a lot of different elements - not just cricket.
“It started with the World Cup [in 2019] being tough and an emotional rollercoaster.
“There were a lot of emotions that went through that [as the Proteas finished seventh and missed out on the playoffs]. It was really tough.
“Then we went from there to India, I knew it would be a really tough tour for us as a team - it was a big challenge for me as a leader as well.
“I was optimistic, I was up for the fight, the team needed me to be strong to lead them [there] as tough as it was going to be.
“Then the tour didn’t go as well as we’d liked [the Proteas were embarrassed 3-0 in a Test series whitewash].
“In that series it was obvious to me that we were way behind where we should have been”
Du Plessis believed then that experienced coaches would do the trick, because they lacked experienced players.
And despite Mark Boucher coming in as head coach, Graeme Smith being named director, the team lost a home Test series 3-1 to England.
Du Plessis recalls: “A lot of energy was pushed towards me and I felt at the time that I’ve been fighting the good fight for the Proteas and that I gave my everything. I felt the new coaching staff could start the journey with someone new.”
Despite giving up the armband, he still has a point to prove to his countrymen and adds: “I have a lot of value to add to that, the time is right now to add to that.
“That’s why I took the decision to step away.
“The reflection of all of this, I still love playing for the Proteas, I still see myself adding huge value - not at one stage did I think that I will sign a deal overseas.
“I am still motivated and keen to play for the Proteas in all three formats. The time away from the game has made sure that the hunger for me is still there.
“That’s a big thing for players: to love what they do and I love playing for the Proteas. It’s something I look forward to doing again.”