South Africa’s Faf Du Plessis is one of the best batsman the country has produced. By adapting his game to meet the needs of different platforms, he has proved his worth across formats. Depending on the match situation and format, he is able to block and sprint, which makes him a valuable player. In addition, he is probably one of his era’s greatest fielders as well, capable of taking stunning catches.
In addition to his leadership skills, he is the only South Africa captain to have won both home and away series against Australia.
Here are some of his top performances on his 37th birthday:
During South Africa’s defence of the Test trophy in Australia, Du Plessis made his Test debut. In the first Test, a draw was achieved while the hosts had the upper hand in the second Test. In the course of 376 balls faced, Du Plessis reached the century mark for the first time after he was dropped at 94.
Despite his impressive debut in Test cricket, Faf soon lost his form. He had not reached fifty in any of his last eight innings before the Johannesburg Test against India in December 2014. A partnership of 205 runs was stitched between Du Plessis and his school friend AB de Villiers.
The Adelaide Test was a memorable century for the team as it helped to rescue them from struggling – from 44 for 3 to over 250 runs. Despite the fact that South Africa lost the match, Du Plessis still considers his 118* against Australia to be the best of all centuries.
In 2019, South Africa lost a series of games both at home and abroad to Sri Lanka during Du Plessis’ leadership as captain this year. He was being questioned about his place in the Test team because of his dwindling form. The cricketer responded to Sri Lanka’s challenge with style. On 199, he was unfortunately caught on a glory shot which would have given him a double-century.
Indian audiences also love the South African legend. The Chennai Super Kings’ player has had numerous impressive performances for his franchise in the Indian Premier League. His innings against Kings XI Punjab of 96 off 55 balls is certainly one of his most notable in IPL 2019. During his innings, he hit 10 fours and 4 sixes.
