Faf du Plessis, more fondly known as South Africa’s “Captain Cool,” was born on July 13, 1984. Cricket is his game, and he has had the most twists and turns in his career. Faf initially signed a Kolpak deal with Lancashire to go into county cricket. However, changes in immigration laws forced him back into South Africa. It was a bittersweet turn of events that ultimately proved a blessing in disguise for South African cricket.
Back home, Faf had a brilliant season with the Titans in 2010 when he scored 567 runs in just 10 matches in the MTN Pro40 competition. His consistent performances, including three centuries in three games, caught the eye of the national selectors. He is known for his composed nature and strong technique. Faf soon turned out to be the ideal cricketer for international cricket, especially for a South African team often titled as “chokers.” He was also pretty impressive on his debut ODI against India in January 2011 by scoring a composed 50. Later on in the World Cup, he helped his side win a high-pressure game against eventual champions India.
The Adelaide Hero: Faf du Plessis Redefined Resilience
The second Test at Adelaide was the very first match Faf played in 2012. He gave a career-defining performance there as South Africa navigated, under immense pressure, to come out with a thrilling draw, which eventually turned into a series win, thus garnering the ICC Test Championship mace for them. Over the years, Faf became one of the stalwarts in South African batting along with veterans like Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers. Major trophies still remained elusive for Faf, but the leadership qualities came into prominence, especially in the T20 format.
He became South Africa’s permanent Test captain after taking up the challenge during the series against Australia in 2016, and he proved quite successful by guiding the side to a historic win. By 2017, Faf had become the captain in all formats, replacing AB de Villiers who had resigned as the ODI captain. South Africa’s poor performance in ICC events did not faze Faf; he continued to lead from the front.
World Cups: Highs and Heartbreaks
The timing was the great doomsday for Faf’s career. After missing out on playing in England as a Kolpak cricketer, he made his way to the 2011 World Cup, where he had a pretty good tournament. But it is the memory of running out AB de Villiers in the quarterfinal against New Zealand, a moment that turned the game into the opposition’s favor, for which people remember him most.
In the World Cup of 2015, Faf was South Africa’s second-highest run-scorer with 380 runs. His gritty 82 in the heart-breaking semifinal against New Zealand was a highlight, though it could not prevent another disappointment. In 2019, while being the captain of South Africa, Faf emerged one of the standout players in his team for the tournament with 387 runs, including a hundred against Australia. The team, however, had a very poor campaign overall, winning only three out of nine games.
Faf du Plessis Post-Test Retirement and T20 Success
Faf retired from Test cricket in February 2021 after the Pakistan series, announcing his desire to concentrate on white-ball cricket. However, disagreements with the South African board saw him excluded from the squads for the limited-overs competitions. Yet Faf found himself in high demand for the T20 leagues across the globe.
IPL Journey
Faf’s story in the IPL started with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where he became a dependable player, though he wasn’t always an assured starter. He went on to play a match-winning innings in Qualifier-1 in 2018 that took CSK to the final. Before getting released in the run-up to the 2022 auctions, he played a pivotal role in CSK’s title-winning campaign in 2021. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) snapped him up and made him captain, a role he excelled in by leading the team to the playoffs. Faf remains a crucial figure for RCB. From setbacks to comebacks, Faf’s journey is a testament to resilience and determination, making him one of South Africa’s cricketing legends.
