Leus du Plooy to leave Middlesex as he targets South Africa cap

Club captain will give up local status in county cricket in bid to represent nation of birth

Leus du Plooy, Middlesex's captain, is to leave the club at the end of the season despite having a year left on his contract after opting to recommit to his native South Africa.

Du Plooy originally joined Derbyshire in 2019 on a Kolpak deal before using a Hungarian passport to qualify as a local player in county cricket. He joined Middlesex ahead of the 2024 season and had been working towards being eligible for England, but has now reversed that decision in a bid to represent the Proteas.

Giving up his local status means that du Plooy could only remain on Middlesex's books as an overseas player, with the club confirming his impending departure.RelatedECB considering relaxing rules on England eligibility

Helm to the fore as Middlesex condemn Lancashire to three-day defeat

"We are naturally disappointed that Leus will be leaving Middlesex at the end of this season, but are happy to support his decision to further his international aspirations," Alan Coleman, Middlesex's director of cricket, said. "He is an ambitious individual who has always made clear his intention to play international cricket. He feels this is the best decision for him in order to achieve this, and we wish him all the very best of luck in the future.

"Leus has given his all in a Middlesex shirt, and we thank him for all he has done for the club in his time here. He will always be welcome back here at Middlesex as an overseas player. To average over 50 in first-class cricket for the club marks him down as one of our finest performers in this format."

Du Plooy has been a prolific run-scorer during his time in England, making more than 6000 first-class runs and 16 hundreds. For Middlesex, he has scored 2795 runs at 51.75 in the County Championship and could still oversee their promotion to Division One - the club are currently fourth, 23 points off second spot, with three rounds of the competition to play.

Local status has also enabled du Plooy to feature regularly in the Hundred, where he has represented Welsh Fire, Southern Brave and Manchester Super Giants, whom he helped to the title this summer. However, it also meant he had to feature as an overseas signing in the SA20; switching allegiance back to South Africa enabled him to be retained as a local by Johannesburg Super Kings.

Du Plooy said: "I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone at Middlesex for the incredible support I've received during my time at the club, both as a player and as captain. My time at Middlesex has meant a huge amount to me, and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunities, friendships, memories and experiences I've had along the way. It has been a real privilege to represent the club and, in particular, to have had the honour of captaining Middlesex.

"The decision to leave was an extremely difficult one and certainly not something I have taken lightly. Ultimately, an opportunity has arisen for me to explore the possibility of representing South Africa, and I feel that I owe it to myself to see where that opportunity might lead. It is something I have always dreamed of, but I also understand what an incredible privilege it would be to actually play for my country.

"I want to make it clear how grateful I am to Middlesex for the way the club has supported me throughout this process. I have been fortunate to have had such a strong relationship with the club, and the understanding and support shown in helping me make this decision has meant a great deal.

"I will always be incredibly proud of my time at Middlesex. The club will always hold a very special place in my heart, and I'm hugely thankful to everyone who has played a part in my journey."