If you're South African, male, Afrikaans, and have Erasmus anywhere in your name you will likely be called Rassie. Hence no-one knows the genius rugby coach who has presided over two of the Springboks' four World Cup triumphs by his given name of Johan Erasmus. Somehow Marais Erasmus wasn't tagged. And a good thing, too - two people known as Rassie Erasmus at the tip top of their professions would have been confusing.

But another tip topper didn't escape the naming convention. Hendrik Erasmus van der Dussen was ranked fourth among T20I batters in June 2021 and rose to second on the ODI list in July 2022. He scored six centuries and averaged 50.13 in the longer of those formats. Two of those hundreds were delivered in the foreign conditions and extra pressure of the 2023 World Cup.

The sound his bat still makes when he connects properly is unlike any other. It's the crack of a whip, the report of a rifle shot, the thunder that rents the electrified Highveld air when the lightning is dangerously close.

We will not hear it again in South Africa's matches.

"It is with a proud heart and a profound sense of gratitude that I announce my retirement from international cricket," Rassie van der Dussen posted on social media on Thursday.

"To wear the Proteas jersey is a feat that demands a level of resilience and dedication that both tests, and rewards you in the most incredible way. To have played for my Country [sic] has been the greatest honour of my life. This journey has been paved with years of sacrifice, but the privilege of representing South Africa was worth every moment."

Attention. There's a good guy on deck.

Beyond the runs - he is 19th among his country's ODI alltime runscorers and eighth in T20I terms - Van der Dussen brought a steely respectability to South Africa's dressingroom. When he spoke people listened. Like they did at a press conference he gave in Pune during the 2023 World Cup.

"I think the situations we faced in the past four years, whether it be COVID, whether it be Black Lives Matter, SJN [CSA's Social Justice and Nation-Building project, which exposed deep rooted racism in the game], various political stories that we've had to manage as a team, have really forced us to pull together.

"And the effect of us being really tight off the field, knowing each other intimately. We've been playing together for a very long time. Between any two members of the squad there's a real connection somewhere. So I think there's definitely something different in this team. We've had to deal with quite a lot of controversy and that's stood us in good stead."

The next day he scored 133 off 118 against a New Zealand attack that bristled with Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner and James Neesham.

Batting and brains. What's not to like?

In his post on Thursday, Van der Dussen said that to him and his three brothers "the Proteas badge was always held as something sacred. We lived and breathed the game together, and to be the one to carry our family name onto the international stage was a responsibility I was proud to embrace. I am merely a product of my environment, and of years of camaraderie, love, and pushing for greatness."

That the love is mutual was made clear in a release that quoted Enoch Nkwe, CSA's director of national teams, as saying: "Rassie's legacy in the green and gold extends beyond his on-field performances. He was a strong senior voice in the changeroom who helped drive team culture and standards, always leading by example.

"He truly embodied what it meant to be a Protea. He put the team first and always supported those around him. We thank him for everything he has contributed to the badge."

Van der Dussen thanked everyone from his provincial and national administrators to his coaches, managers and friends, to his agent, Chris Cardoso, to his wife, Lara, to his compatriots.

"To the people of South Africa and the fans; thank you. There is no feeling quite like hearing 'MaThousand' called out in the streets, or the spine-tingling experience of walking out to bat at a packed Wanderers Stadium to the deafening roar of Fokofpolisiekar's 'Antibiotika'. Those moments of connection are difficult to describe, and those emotions will stay with me forever."

There's a lot going on in that paragraph. 'MaThousand' by Solly Makamu is a gently lilting, unmistakably black Xitsonga song that offers thanks for milestones achieved. 'Antibiotika' is a clangy, edgy, unflinching look at being white in modern South Africa by an Afrikaans punk band whose name translates as "F**k off police car".

Being Rassie van der Dussen is many things. Simple isn't one of them. He would have learnt that in the course of the 374 games of cricket, of all kinds and at all levels, he played before he was granted a South Africa debut. At 37 he's done with the international game. But not with the real world, where he has always and will always live.