{"id":4516,"date":"2018-07-13T21:00:23","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T15:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/?p=4516"},"modified":"2018-07-13T21:00:23","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T15:30:23","slug":"a-tribute-to-faf-du-plessis-south-africas-marathon-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/a-tribute-to-faf-du-plessis-south-africas-marathon-man\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tribute to Faf Du Plessis: South Africa’s Marathon Man"},"content":{"rendered":"

“We don’t only want to win in South Africa,” declared South Africa’s captain Faf Du Plessis upon arriving at Galle, for the first Test.<\/p>\n

Sri Lanka was waiting.<\/h2>\n

But none knew just how desperately they waited what now looks a live wire of a series. No bookie, who’d seen either sides’ recent form would’ve bet a single dollar on the tiny island nation and boom, a loud sound roars.
\nIt takes flat 54 overs for the hosts to bundle out South Africa.
\nThe Die-hard fan who’s seen De Villiers’ paint artworks out of innings, and witnessed destruction from the mighty quartet of Amla, Steyn, Rabada and, Philander is distraught.
\nHeads are shaking inside the TV for the players. Heads are shaking outside it.
\nIt doesn’t make much sense.
\nSri Lanka managed an\u00a0underwhelming 287 but what about South Africa?<\/p>\n

126 all out. South Africa have been sold a dummy<\/h2>\n

\"Quinton
Quinton De Kock was clen bowled of Dilruwan Perera as South Africa collapsed for 126 (Image: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nSomeone bullied the bully.
\nBut one man ensures that somehow South Africa reach beyond hundred and eventually post a total of over 120.
\nHe sticks out for over 2 hours and defies Dilruwan, Herath, and Lakmal when Amla, de Kock, Markram and, Elgar have all failed him.
\nFaf Du Plessis has struck 49 off 88.
\nHe somehow managed to do more than just put bat to ball, but find boundaries that none of his teammates imagined.<\/p>\n

On the very day, Faf turns 34, has been treated to a mega-collapse.<\/h2>\n

\"FAf
Faf Du Plesis was the only one to stand against Sri Lanka by scoring 49 (Image: Republic TV)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nBut he seems glad to offer something ‘face-saving.’
\nFaf Du Plessis wasn’t born to South Africa amid wild-celebrations, laughter or cheer.
\nHis genesis in cricket was amid fiery times, albeit one that very nearly turned disappointing.
\nRather, make that soul-crushing.<\/p>\n

Let’s rewind the clocks back to the scenes at Adelaide, 2012<\/h2>\n

\"Faf
Faf, along with De Villiers, struck a valuable partnership to salvage a draw for South Africa.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nIt’s November. Australia is hosting South Africa for 3 Tests.
\nThe first has been a draw but hasn’t produced anything electrifying for the tourists.
\nAt Adelaide,\u00a0Australia haven’t just batted; they’ve smoked out South Africa.
\nClarke and Hussey have engineering mammoth innings, the former striking a double-hundred against Steyn, Morkel and Kallis.
\nIt seems fidgety and one-sided.<\/p>\n

Making 550, 267 for 8, Australia set South Africa 430 to win<\/h2>\n

\"De
The duo of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plesis ensured a draw for South Africa (Image: Wisden India)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nThey have exactly a day and a half to chase.
\nIt seems a tough ask. It’s one of those laughable jokes the bartender tells you long after bar-time is over, knowing well your receptivity level is zilch, you’re sloshed.
\nEventually, South Africa’s top-four- Petersen, Graeme Smith, Amla, Rudolph- contribute 44.
\nDe Villiers produces a blocakthon, in staying out for 220 balls for a well-compiled 33.\u00a0 Kallis plays his hand in his 46. But you rewind your mind to the scorecard- 430 are needed?
\nThat is when a charming, unknown batsman holds Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nathan Lyon at bay.
\nHe collects a 110 on his Test debut.
\nHe goes on to bat well into the final day saving South Africa the blues.
\nHe’s managed to stitch a partnership even with Steyn and Morkel. And in the process, he’s faced 376 balls on his own.
\nFaf Du Plessis takes South Africa onto safer shores and saves them the ignominy of defeat on a peach of a batting wicket.
\nBut, to understand the enormity of Faf’s effort, you need to take cognizance of his abilities throughout the Test.
\nIn the first innings, he made 78 and batted for nearly 205 minutes. He followed it with an exhibition of quintessential South African stoicism with their backs against the wall, battling for a mammoth 466 minutes.
\nAustralia gets a whiff of a man who’s produced a tour de force under extreme pressure.
\nWorld cricket has seen those bulging biceps for the first time and they carved a hundred with immense grit.
\nDid Lara, Sachin, Kallis or Dravid stay on the crease for 671 minutes on their debut?<\/p>\n

There are things that only Faf Du Plessis can do.<\/h2>\n

\"\"
South Africa’s captain Faf du Plessis plays a classy shot (Image: The Indian Express)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nLet’s dispense with silly titles and adages.
\nFaf is no AB De Villiers or Virat Kohli, let’s get that straight.
\nHe doesn’t possess the aesthetically pleasing sight of a very-wristy Amla. He doesn’t send bowlers into a state of a coma the way De Villiers did. Neither does Faf immediately replenish the onlooker with the pleasantness Williamson unfurls.
\nWhat Faf does, however, is to marry caution with aggression like few others can.
\nThe same Du Plessis, who constructed a monument of focus in Adelaide can unravel very feisty weapons from his batting arsenal. In the summers of 2017, when Sri Lanka toured South Africa, they didn’t know that Faf had other plans in his mind.
\nAt Cape Town, in the fourth ODI, Faf moved the Protea fan to the edge of his seat and those from the opposite number in immense admiration.
\nHe plundered 185 and South Africa produced a carnage in their 367.
\nWas he the same steady bloke behind the 110 at Adelaide?
\nHe reverse-swept, played the scoop, launched into a bevy of cover and square drives and made life difficult for headline writers in newspaper columns.
\nWhat was he, you wondered stunned? Was this merely aggressive intent or was this stuff out the box.<\/p>\n

It made sense to suggest it was vintage Faf.<\/h2>\n

For some, the shot of the day may have been the very Dilshan-styled scoop he produced that went for 6 in the closing stages.
\nBut none seemed better than his cover drive of Kulasekara, wherein the belligerent right-hander danced down the track to open the gap.
\nHe bettered de Kock’s 178 and stopped 3 runs shy of Kirsten’s 188. But it didn’t matter.
\nFaf plays to win.
\nSince 2012, 17 centuries and nearly 8000 international runs later, Du Plessis is learning every day to be one with the game; to lift the spirits of fans who don’t see in South Africa just a big cricket side, rather an undaunted force.
\nFaf, it could be said, has pretty much done it all.
\nHe’s kissed the forehead of Kagiso Rabada in front of a live press conference, with the pacer decimating Australia in 2016, he’s seen a shock Proteas World Cup 2015 exit, waved goodbye to the giant Morkel and, even managed to paint headlines dark with a lamentable ball-tampering saga.<\/p>\n

But Faf’s competitiveness hasn’t left him.<\/h2>\n

\"\"Behind the beautiful eyes and muscles ornamented by sweat and swagger, rests a steely resolve.
\nToday, Faf Du Plessis’ task is even tougher. Probably he knows it just as much as do adoring fans.
\nThere’s no AB.
\nAmla is aging.
\nElgar doesn’t really fit in the ODIs and de Kock along with Miller seem the only rising hopes for Markram is too young to depend on completely.
\nSouth Africans\u00a0are once again eyeing the elusive.
\nPerhaps they know deep inside that they are somewhere left utterly stunned by De Villiers’ whimsical departure.
\nBut in Faf Du Plessis, they should be glad, very glad, they have one of modern cricket’s understated olympians. How long can Faf run with the baton called South Africa, we don’t know.
\nBut what we do know, is that the journey of Faf seems utterly intoxicating.
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“We don’t only want to win in South Africa,” declared South Africa’s captain Faf Du Plessis upon arriving at Galle, for the first Test. Sri Lanka was waiting. But none knew just how desperately they waited what now looks a live wire of a series. No bookie, who’d seen either sides’ recent form would’ve bet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,818,580],"tags":[999,1000,157,1001],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4516"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4516"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4516\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4516"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4516"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kyrosports.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4516"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}