Elgar motivated by rejection

Batsman Dean Elgar is determined to secure a recall to South Africa's ODI squad on the back of an outstanding stretch of form at first-class and List A level.

Batsman Dean Elgar is determined to secure a recall to South Africa's ODI squad on the back of an outstanding stretch of form at first-class and List A level.

Elgar debuted against England last year, scoring 93 runs in five matches before being omitted for series against New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka – and the Champions Trophy in England.

He has since scored a record-breaking 268 for the A side against the Australian counterparts in Pretoria and, earlier this month, struck twin centuries for the Knights against the Warrriors in Port Elizabeth.

"I was ticked off at being left out of the one-day international team. I have been labelled as a so-called four-day specialist, but I have a decent one-day record. It motivated me," <i>Supersport</i> quoted Elgar as saying. "My focus was actually to keep it as simple as possible."

Former South African cricketer Boeta Dippenaar, meanwhile, has implored Elgar to capitalise on the chance afforded to him at Test level. While excluded from the limited-overs fold, the 26-year-old has been named in the Test squad.

"Dean is a very, very good batsman. He must remember that JP Duminy and Faf du Plessis both entrenched themselves at Test level by grabbing the opportunities provided through the unfortunate injuries to others," added Dippennar.

The first Test will get underway at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on 14 October. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the second and final fixture.

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