Middlesex have announced that captain Leus du Plooy will be unable to play for the club for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Du Plooy announced this week that he intended on pursuing an international cap for South Africa, making him an overseas player from next year.
The 31-year-old still had another year left on his deal at Lord's but remarked that he 'owed it to himself' to pursue an opportunity to represent the Proteas.
"The decision to leave was an extremely difficult one and certainly not something I have taken lightly." he told the club's website.
"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."
It initially appeared that Du Plooy would be able to see out the remainder of the 2026 season with Middlesex prior to becoming an overseas player for registration purposes.
However, the club announced on Tuesday that by announcing his intention to play for another country Du Plooy is already classified as an overseas player in terms of domestic cricket.
He would therefore need to be registered as such in order to continue playing for the side that he joined from Derbyshire in 2024.
The deadline for registration was on Sunday, 6 September, meaning that Du Plooy will no longer be eligible for selection as Middlesex see out the Rothesay County Championship Division 2 campaign.
The club have announced that Max Holden will lead the side in the South African's absence, while the club remains in discussions with the England Cricket Board regarding the issue.
