He relinquished the Border captaincy in 1967–68 because owing to work and family commitments he could not spare the time for most matches away from home. But he continued to score prolifically: 459 runs at 57.37 in 1967–68, 521 at 65.12 in 1968–69 (when he broke his own record by scoring 211 against Eastern Province, out of a team total of 355), and 539 at 67.37 in his last season, 1969–70. Against the touring Australian team in 1969–70 he hit 154 and 42. "Wisden" said his 154 (in a team total of 299) "was only slightly inferior to the masterly Test centuries by Graeme Pollock and Richards at Durban a few days previously the Second Test but ironically the nearest selector was hundreds of miles away". He retired at the end of the season, so it turned out to be his last match.