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Faf du Plessis
has admitted that his ODI form must improve if he hopes to take over as
the ODI captain in the future. Du Plessis already leads South Africa's
Twenty20 side, and has been widely tipped to eventually succeed AB de
Villiers, who has been burdened with the role of skipper, senior batsman
and wicket-keeper. However, du Plessis does not see himself as a
suitable candidate just yet.
"My performances need to be better if I want to be considered as ODI
captain. In Sri Lanka, I was under pressure to score runs and I knew
that," he told ESPNcricinfo.
In the last 12 months, Du Plessis has managed only two half-centuries in
the 21 matches he has played - an unbeaten 62 against Netherlands in
May, and a 72-ball 57 against New Zealand in January.
His lean patch extended to the shortest format of the game as well, but
du Plessis ended the drought with an assured 85 in the last T20 on South
Africa's tour of Sri Lanka last month. "It meant a lot for me to score
runs in that last T20," he said. "I needed them badly."
His own showings aside, du Plessis achieved something bigger when he
became the first captain to take South Africa to a series win in Sri
Lanka. After a below-par ODI showing in which they were defeated 4-1,
South Africa clinched the three-match T20 series 2-1. A notable
difference in the two series was in the leadership. While de Villiers
struggled in his decision-making and was often behind the over-rate, du
Plessis made crucial bowling and fielding changes, appeared in control
most of the time, and admitted that he was enjoying his job.
"I love captaining and adding value in that way," he said. "I like
giving the talks that a captain gives and dealing with the high pressure
times. I even like taking the flak of making decision myself, like when
it comes to bowling changes. The captain needs to make tough decisions
and I don't mind making them."
Du Plessis was a captain at school level and occasionally in the
domestic set-up. So despite his relatively young age when he was
promoted to T20 captain in November last year, he was deemed to have had
the required skills to cut it at the top. He had only played four T20s
when he was handed the role, but immediately set about trying to
establish a style of leadership and earn the confidence of his team.
"If you're honest with players, they respect you," he said. "Everybody
knew we were experimenting a bit and we will try a experiment a little
more because we need have our best combinations." The World T20 and 2015
World Cup are only six and 18 months away respectively, but South
Africa are still toying with new combinations and strategies under the
new coach Russell Domingo.
Through the process of settling on a line-up, du Plessis is hopeful that
his own ODI showings will get better, if only because he will have some
stability to get into a rhythm. Currently, he has been stationed at
No.4 in the line-up, between JP Duminy and de Villiers, and Domingo has
indicated he will keep those positions, even as Jacques Kallis makes himself available for more ODI cricket.
Du Plessis, for one, can see the benefit of a definite plan. "It's nice
to have a more stable role because before I was batting everywhere and
now I am able to get used to a role," he said. The only person du
Plessis thinks can float is de Villiers who he said "has to bat at the
most crucial part of the game," because "he is just the best in every
situation."
With de Villiers identified as South Africa's gun player, it would not
be too surprising to see him relieved of the extra duty of leading in
the near future, although du Plessis would not be drawn on how his
long-time friend feels about leadership. "AB and I are different
captains and we use each other, when it comes to discussing things. I'd
love to captain the ODI side but I know it's not going to happen at the
moment," he said. "The captain needs to be the first name on the team
sheet, so I have to make sure I am there."
A format du Plessis feels he does not have to worry about his place in
is the longest one, which South Africa will resume with two Tests
against Pakistan in the UAE in October. After his match-saving hundred in Adelaide
against Australia last November, du Plessis thinks he has "done
enough," to be a certainty in the starting XI despite JP Duminy, the man
who du Plessis replaced, returning to fitness.
Duminy has made a full recovery after rupturing his Achilles' on the
tour Down Under, and has been reintroduced into first-class cricket
through South Africa A in order to force a Test comeback. He was the
top-scorer in last week's unofficial Test against India A and also
contributed with three wickets, to show his value as an all-rounder.
Du Plessis expects Duminy to make a comeback, but not at his own
expense. "JP has done brilliantly since coming back and having him in
the team only makes it stronger," he said. "He would slot right back
in."
That implies Dean Elgar, who has played in six Tests since Perth last
year, would find himself out in the cold. "But if Graeme (Smith) does
not recover in time, Dean can just slot in at the top," du Plessis said.
Smith is expected to be fit for the series after a lengthy time out of
action with an ankle problem but if there is a setback in his
rehabilitation, South Africa may have to turn to Elgar, who is an opener
by trade.
There's no doubt that the management will do everything they can to
ensure Smith is part of the squad, as South Africa will play the Tests
in conditions that have already got the better of England. Although
South Africa beat Pakistan 3-0 at home earlier this year, du Plessis
expects the going to be much tougher in the Emirates.
"You just have to look at England and how easily they were beaten to
know it won't be easy," he said. "Spin will obviously be the biggest
challenge and that's what we will be working on."
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent
Feeds: Firdose Moonda
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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