Article
Faf du Plessis Denies to Take Retirement After Innings Defeat to England
By Shruti - Jan 21, 2020 10:40 pm
Views 56

South African captain Faf du Plessis denied all the rumours of his retirement on Monday, saying he would continue to lead the South Africa team despite an innings defeat to England.

Faf du Plessis
Faf Du Plessis

“There are a lot of rumours about retirement,” he said after South Africa lost the third Test against England by an innings and 53 runs. This was their seventh defeat in eight Test matches. “I think I have been pretty clear that I have committed myself to Cricket South Africa until the T20 World Cup (in Australia in October and November). Definitely,” he said when he was asked whether he was under more pressure, adding “I’m not a robot.”

Read here: India Are a Powerhouse Across Formats, Says Craig McMillan

“It’s a tough time but there’s no running away from it,” he said. “There’s no escape. I’m the leader of the team. It (pressure) comes with the job description. There was a time when it was nice and easy and everything was going our way as a team. We had a strong team and a high success ratio. Now we are on the bottom side of that wave. We’ve got to go back to the office and work again.”

However, Faf du Plessis gave a hint of his retirement from Test cricket where he said his Test career might come to an end later this year after the fourth Test against England which will begin at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday, and a two-Test tour of the West Indies in July and August is there too.

“I want to be the strongest leader I can be for the team and for now that’s committing to this series,” Faf du Plessis said. “The worst thing a leader can do is pull the plug mid-series and say, ‘Sorry boys, I’m out, I’ve had enough’. I don’t think that is what leadership is about. You have to stick through the tough times as well.”