There’s no stopping Faf du Plessis.
The stylish right-hander was among those players who underwent a tsunami of emotions in the 2019 World Cup recently. Even before he bowled a delivery, Dale Steyn- Faf’s lethal weapon for opponents in the tournament- was sent back home. There are losses. There are big losses. This was a colossal one at that. Rabada and Ngidi struggled and didn’t’ yield great returns. Markram couldn’t do much. And Amla seemed pale and rusty.
South Africa, finding their backs against the wall, got off to the poorest of starts against England, after which they were humbled immediately by India.
A moved captain spoke somberly in the press conference, “The guys are hurting.”
Yet, nothing seemed to get in the way of Faf’s concentration whilst batting. When there was no one to back him, he backed himself and gave it everything in the Proteas’ final contest before the long walk back.
Faf Du Plessis, at the end of it all, South Africa’s leading run-scorer.
Amid the chaos and gloom around him, South Africa managing an exit even before most would’ve readied themselves to grieve, Faf du Plessis struck a magnificent ton.
This came against the Australians. Nothing that Starc, Lyon, Behrendorff tried bothered him. No other batsman other than Faf happened to strike a hundred in what was a woeful campaign.
In a little over a month, Faf will lead his troops to India, where he’ll compete in 3 T20s and as many Tests. Yet, Faf’s signed on to play more cricket. To give the Proteas’ skipper’s recent cricketing journey a more comprehensive look, one ought to be reminded that just before arriving in England for cricket’s seminal competition, the dashing right-hander was a key member of the IPL 2019, where his exploits with the bat helped CSK further their journey.
A non-stop cricketing calendar
At present, he’s just been signed on by Belfast Titans, his would-be unit in the upcoming Euro T20 series. Faf’s the kind of tourist whose passport seems determined to get as many nation’s visa stamp as possible.
And interestingly, it’s the first time that Irish franchises have clung on to the whole glitz and paraphernalia surrounding Cricket’s most famous format.
In what promises to be an exciting series for the South African captain, Faf will be playing alongside Shahid Afridi, who’s joined the Belfast Titans as well for the inaugural slam.
Understandably thrilled by the South African’s inclusion, Belfast Titans coach Ian Pont shared excitedly, “His experience in world cricket is immense. Not only his batting, but his understanding of all formats of the game make him a huge asset to us.”
But that said, what is Faf doing right now?
Is he away from the tiring demands of international cricket?
How’s that ever going to be possible? In Faf’s world, the thrill never stops, the fun doesn’t end and the enigma that’s cricket can hardly remain at distance from him- can it?
Faf du Plessis’s currently with the Edmonton Royals in the Canada T20 Global.