'Champions Trophy Could Be My Last ICC Tournament': South Africa Star Ahead Of Crucial England Clash

Ahead of their all-import clash against England at Karachi, South Africa's right-hand batter Rassie van der Dussen said that the ongoing marquee event will possibly be the last major ICC tournament of his cricketing career. The Proteas will lock horns with the Jos Buttler-led side in their last group stage match of the competition at the National Stadium in Karachi on Saturday. "It's definitely a possibility that it's my last ICC tournament. I'm not saying that with any preconceived ideas that I'll call time on it, or management will call time on my career. It's just the reality," van der Dussen said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Further, the experienced cricketer said that for him, playing for his country has always been his biggest and only goal.

"My ultimate goal has always been to play for the Proteas. People are asking me, Are you going to play leagues afterwards? I don't know. I don't know if the prospect of not playing for the Proteas goes away, I'll have that hunger to play in the leagues. Representing my country has always been one of my big and only goals, so if that falls away, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. If I'm offered another contract, I'll definitely take it and commit for that time period," van der Dussen added.

In the end, the 36-year-old lauded the young batters of the team (Tristan Stubbs, Tony de Zorzi, and Matthew Breetzke) who are currently participating along with him in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, which is taking place in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"It's such a great thing that there's so many young players coming through, guys really playing well. A guy like Tristan Stubbs, he's sitting on the sidelines. Or Tony de Zorzi. And even if you go into the domestic