Faf returns to lead Proteas in Australia showdown
On the eve of South Africa’s four-Test showdown with Australia, the home side have been boosted by the return of three of their most influential stars in AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock and the captain, Faf du Plessis.
After recovering from the finger injury that sidelined him from the recent limited-overs series defeat against India, du Plessis returns to lead the squad in a series that will decide which team can lay claim to being the No.2 side in world cricket, behind India. South Africa are currently in second place in the MRF Tyres ICC Test Rankings with Australia 11 points behind them in third.
“I have played with finger injuries before,” Du Plessis said ahead of the match which begins on Thursday, March 1. “The biggest battle you have to get over is the mental side of things. I have had three good nets this week, I have been hitting a lot of balls, but the biggest thing is to be mentally ready for the battle. I am ready for that.”
It’s a huge boon to have du Plessis back helming the team, and after their 2-1 series victory over India, the Proteas are aiming to complete the home-summer double by besting Australia.
“I’m looking forward to see how our batters do this series. The India series had bowling conditions, probably the most we have had in South Africa. The runs that were scored in the series were not a direct reflection of the batsmen’s form. There were low scores from both teams, there was only one hundred from Virat [Kohli]. I think the wickets will be a lot better.”
In many respects, du Plessis made his name against Australia, famously batting all day on debut at Adelaide in 2012, salvaging an unlikely draw in a series that South Africa would go on to win. For du Plessis the rivalry has always carried a palpable intensity, but he is surrounded by players who have experience of dealing with Australia's unique threat.
“Australia are a very good team when they are on top,” he said. “For us it is about limiting those moments in every game. There will be times when they will be on top but it is about how well you can absorb that period of play and get through it. Either by not losing wickets in clusters or with the ball by how well you can keep them quiet.”
Echoing Dean Elgar’s point from earlier in the build-up about the best way to play Australia, du Plessis added: "If you keep the run rate down, you can get wickets, but if they are scoring freely, they can get on top of you as a bowling attack."
“The last series we played here [at home] was a tough one,” he said. “I remember Morne [Morkel] getting bowled in the last half hour at Newlands. It was a tough series. When you play Australia you expect nothing less. In this series we want to put a peg in the ground to try and change that. It is easier said than done but we are a strong Test team, we have had some good results and we are looking forward to a tough Test series.”