Faf du Plessis

Going into the World Cup, Du Plessis has been dismissed for a single-figure score just 10 times in ODI cricket since the end of 2013

The Cricketer | 08/05/2019 at 09:16

Born: July 13, 1984

Role: Right-hand bat

That one might describe Faf du Plessis as the reliable cog in a well-oiled, pragmatic machine, is as much an ode to the South Africa skipper’s consistency as it is an understatement of a supreme talent.

If he has been overlooked in times gone by, it has – at least, in part – been because of the company by which he has been surrounded.

For so long the glue sandwiched between Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers, his importance has only increased since De Villiers – a friend from their time together at school in Pretoria – retired from the international stage.

Ever since a match-saving hundred on Test debut in Adelaide, Du Plessis has been a linchpin of his nation’s cricket team. He was part of a crucial sixth-wicket stand with Jacques Kallis on that occasion.

And faced with the unenviable task of stepping into Kallis’ shoes at the end of his own stellar career, he has done about as well as one might have reasonably hoped.

If Kallis’ combination of runs and wickets has proven irreplaceable, then Du Plessis’ longevity has allowed his country to move forward regardless.

And now, 11 years on from his Proteas debut, Du Plessis has accumulated more than 200 caps across the sport’s three formats – a classy, skillful, combative operator. Going into the World Cup, Du Plessis has been dismissed for a single-figure score just 10 times in ODI cricket since the end of 2013.

He is a curious omission from the debates over the world’s best batsmen. Few on the current circuit can lay claim to his record.

SOUTH AFRICA PLAYER PROFILES

Hashim Amla

JP Duminy

Quinton de Kock

Andile Phehlukwayo