Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s Test and T20I skipper, has hinted at hanging his boots from all forms of cricket after the 2019 World Cup but has committed to play in all the formats until then. The perennial favourites to lift the World Cup, the Proteas are yet to win a single title and the upcoming tournament in England and Wales is likely to be the last chance for some senior South Africa players to lift the coveted trophy.
In an interview in the May 2017 edition of GQ Magazine, du Plessis said he and a number of his fellow senior players are eager to win the 2019 World Cup to bow out of international cricket in style. Speaking about the team’s long-term goals, the 32-year old said, the team is aiming to reclaim the number one spot in Test cricket in addition to winning the Test championship.
“We have discussed our long-term goals and the aim is to get back to being the No. 1 test team in the world‚” the magazine quotes Du Plessis as saying.
“We also want to win the test championship and reach the final of next year’s T20 World Cup because once you reach a final it’s anyone’s game. And a number of the senior players and I are aiming to win the 2019 World Cup in order to end our international careers in style,” he added.
Speaking about his retirement plans, he said: “I see myself heading towards the 2019 World Cup playing all formats of the game and then calling time on my career.”
Du Plessis did not mention the name of his teammates who are thinking of quitting the game after the next World Cup but AB de Villiers is likely to be one of them. The 33-year old, who is leading the Proteas in the 50-over format, handed over the Test captaincy to du Plessis last year to keep when he was recovering from an elbow injury.
De Villiers missed the Test series against Australia and Sri Lanka last year and with his aim solely focused on winning a silverware in the 50-over format, he might withdraw from South Africa’s test series against New Zealand‚ England and Bangladesh this year. When asked about that, du Plessis, while admitting that the team miss de Villiers, explained that he fully backs his teammate’s decision.
“I can’t sit and say he should be playing Test cricket because the guy has been doing it for 12 years and 106 Test matches. It translates to so much time away from home and people has to understand that there is a human side of the decision to consider,” du Plessis said.
“However, from a cricket point of view, I would obviously be the first to say that AB needs to play Tests for South Africa because he is one of the best batsmen in the world. For him, it’s about spending more time at home and getting to the 2019 World Cup. He wants to ensure he remains mentally fresh and his body is still going strong. I fully respect AB’s decision but I don’t agree with it.”
South Africa are currently gearing up for a three-match ODI series against England starting from May 24 before both the teams participate in the ICC Champions Trophy.