Faf du Plessis eyes elusive whitewash

Oct 12, 2016 at 9:19 AM

facebook iconlinkedin iconmail icontwitter iconWhatsApp iconTelegram icon
Faf du Plessis eyes elusive whitewash

When the ODI series between South Africa and Australia commenced, it was perceived that despite sending a second string team, Australia would do well. The recent form was with Australia, as they had come on the back of a convincing 4-1 series win over Sri Lanka away from home. South Africa’s recent form, though, didn’t inspire a lot of confidence, as they had been found wanting in the tri-series in Caribbean and didn’t make it to the finals.

However, after 4 matches, the Proteas have clearly shown what they are capable of. Despite not having the services of regular skipper AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis has led South Africa phenomenally well and has been way ahead of his Australian counterpart Steven Smith. Ahead of the fifth ODI, the Proteas captain admitted that he had set his vision for an elusive 5-0 whitewash.

“As a captain, it’s important the intensity we play at. That does not always mean verbally, it’s body language and the way you carry yourself on the field,” du Plessis said. “When there is a battle that asks for another battle to come their way, that will happen. We are a team that will stand up against that. If that’s required of us as a team, we will also go into that space, but it’s a very focused and channelled aggression; more of a body language thing.”

Praising his batsmen in particular, du Plessis fully lauded wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock. “I am really impressed with the style of cricket we’ve played,” du Plessis said. “The first game set the tone for us where Quinton played one of the best one-day knocks you will see and then out-batting has been a level above what we’ve seen in the past. If you compare that to their batting, which is just as strong possibly on paper, maybe even stronger but they haven’t matched up with our batters at all. We haven’t allowed them to compete at times and even when they looked like they were going to compete, we stuck in and waited for the opportunity.”

Opening up on the motivation of whitewashing a top side, du Plessis added, “We want to reach higher levels and achieve greater things than anyone else. From that perspective 5-0 is very important,” du Plessis said. “The fact that the Test series comes straight after this and 60% to 70% of both teams’ players are the same, the motivation of 5-0 will mean a lot to me.”

Related Article
IND vs AUS: I Think New Ball Bowlers Who Can swing, Are A Danger To Everyone – Aaron Finch On Bowlers Who Can Be Lethal In World Cup
IND vs AUS: I Think New Ball Bowlers Who Can swing, Are A Danger To Everyone – Aaron Finch On Bowlers Who Can Be Lethal In World Cup

Sep 25, 2023, 12:33 PM


IPL 2023: More Than Anything, We’ve Spoken About The T20 World Cup – Faf du Plessis Opens Up On Possibility Of Return To Proteas Setup
IPL 2023: More Than Anything, We’ve Spoken About The T20 World Cup – Faf du Plessis Opens Up On Possibility Of Return To Proteas Setup

May 18, 2023, 2:26 PM


IPL 2023: Josh Hazelwood Set To Play For Royal Challengers Bangalore In Their Next Game Against Lucknow Super Giants – Reports
IPL 2023: Josh Hazelwood Set To Play For Royal Challengers Bangalore In Their Next Game Against Lucknow Super Giants – Reports

Apr 28, 2023, 6:13 PM


IPL 2023: Hopefully, Faf du Plessis Will Lead From The Next Game Onwards – Virat Kohli Provides Massive Update On RCB Skipper’s Injury
IPL 2023: Hopefully, Faf du Plessis Will Lead From The Next Game Onwards – Virat Kohli Provides Massive Update On RCB Skipper’s Injury

Apr 27, 2023, 10:18 AM


IPL 2023: There Was A Bit Of Reverse And It Was Not Easy To Hit Sixers – Mohammed Siraj On Strange Wicket Condition In Chinnaswamy
IPL 2023: There Was A Bit Of Reverse And It Was Not Easy To Hit Sixers – Mohammed Siraj On Strange Wicket Condition In Chinnaswamy

Apr 24, 2023, 12:43 PM


IPL 2023: The Presence Of Virat Bhai And Faf Can Teach You A Lot – Mahipal Lomror Grateful To Play Alongside Modern-day Superstars In IPL
IPL 2023: The Presence Of Virat Bhai And Faf Can Teach You A Lot – Mahipal Lomror Grateful To Play Alongside Modern-day Superstars In IPL

Apr 19, 2023, 3:49 PM


Desktop Banner
Mobile Banner