Rassie Van der Dussen Reveals Unfortunate CSA Events Leading Up to Retirement

As the topic of communication or lack thereof between senior international players, coaches and selectors all around the world continues to soar, former Proteas batter Rassie van der Dussen spoke his truth in an exclusive interview with SportsBoom, citing that he still does not know why he was not contracted for the 2026/27 season despite having had a meeting with CSA on the eve of the announcement of the contracts.

Relationship with Conrad

When doing this interview, Van der Dussen was sitting on a beach out of the country, perhaps simultaneously enjoying his recent retirement from international cricket and also coming to terms with it, after a career he described as a “privilege” to have had.

Now, it is important to note that the 37-year-old is “not bitter” but understands the responsibility he has to the system that helped shape his career, and to ensure that the next generation doesn’t experience some of the unfortunate situations he found himself in during the tail end of his international career.

Like many players around the world, including India’s Yuvraj Singh who was kept in the dark before his retirement at 37, or like England’s Liam Livingstone who’s not been communicated with by the powers that be during his 12 to 13 months absence in international cricket, Van der Dussent says he has experienced more of the same before he announced his retirement last week.

Van der Dussen played his last international match during the tour to Australia, where he felt he was batted out of position.

During that tour, Van der Dussen spoke to coach Conrad and asked him why he was being batted out of his natural top-order position, especially at a time when all the players in the team were fighting to book a spot in the 2026 T20 World Cup squad, which at the time was only five months away.

“I don’t think I have much of a relationship with Shukri. We were more professional in our relationship up until five months ago when he stopped talking to me,” Van der Dussen revealed to SportsBoom.co.za.

“In the Australia tour where I batted six in the two T20I matches that I played there, I said to him I think I have the skill set to bat anywhere I’m needed but just understand that I’ve never batted six in my entire career and now you’re asking me to bat six against Australia, which is obviously a strong team, in Australia four months out from the World Cup. That was an in-person conversation.”

Central Contracts Snub

Van der Dussen announced his retirement a day after Cricket South Africa announced the 19 players centrally contracted for the 2026/27 season, a list that excluded Van der Dussen’s name and that of fellow senior player David Miller.

Van der Dussen says that the day before the contracts were announced, he received a request for a meeting from CSA Convenor selector Patrick Moroney for that very same day.

In the meeting, it was him, Moroney and Nkwe, and it was during that meeting that the pair informed Van der Dussen that he was not going to be contracted and that CSA would announce the contracts the day after.

Van der Dussen says it was the first time he had heard from Cricket SA since August, and from Moroney since October. 

Even in the communication with Moroney in October, it was Van der Dussen who made the means to have the conversation, and not the other way around, as he sought to know his place in the T20I team with the T20 World Cup fast approaching. 

“On Tuesday morning, I received a message from Patrick requesting to have a meeting that afternoon. I had a meeting with him and Enoch,” said Van der Dussen.

“They basically informed me that they were not going to renew my contract and that they were announcing the contracts the following day. That was the first communication I had with them since in months.”

During his conversation with Moroney in October, Van der Dussen said that the selector told him that he was not in the T20 World Cup plans. 

That effectively meant that it wouldn’t matter what he would do or achieve domestically from October to December 2025; he would simply not make the 2026 T20 World Cup squad.

Moroney would go on to keep his promise, excluding Van der Dussen from the T20 World Cup squad when he announced it in January.

“The last communication was with Patrick when he told me that I was not in the plans for the T20s heading into the World Cup and that there’s no way in for me into the World Cup squad,” Van der Dussen revealed.

“I subsequently asked him, ‘Are you telling me that a contracted player who’s played over 50 T20Is, only months out from the World Cup, that there’s no way that I can earn my place?’ It doesn’t matter who the player is; how do you tell a player that there is no way that you can work your way into the squad?”

Going into the meeting with Moroney and Nkwe last week, Van der Dussen had prepared a set of questions of his own, questions that he feels were not answered one bit by the CSA pair.

“I had prepared a few questions for them as well, and they were along the lines of, 'Do they think it’s right to drop a player that’s averaging over 50 in ODIs, that’s scored three consecutive fifty-plus scores in his last innings, which were in the Champions Trophy,” he asked. “They couldn’t give me a straight answer; they beat around the bush quite a bit. It was frustrating.”

Responsibility

Van der Dussen stressed that he still doesn’t know why he was not offered a contract, but also highlighted that there is no bad blood from his side.

The 37-year-old emphasised that he only spoke to SportsBoom.co.za to ensure that what happened to him doesn’t happen to his former teammates and the next generation when they bow out from international cricket.

“I share these things objectively. I don’t want there to be any bitterness conveyed on my side because I’m not bitter. I’m very privileged to have had a good career and privileged to have done what I did,” Van der Dussen shared.

“I think you’re hitting the nail on the head that if these things are left subjectively to one or two decision-makers and are not addressed, then the same things will happen going forward.”

SportsBoom SA's cricket correspondent, Ongama Gcwabe, approached Cricket South Africa for replies, and their replies will be published on SportsBoom.co.za.