At the start of this year, the white ball coach of South Africa, Rob Walter, said he would be open to discussion with the 38-year-old current captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Faf, for preparing a road map for a safe route on his return in the national white ball side for the ICC event happening in India in the end.
Though contrasting from his previous stand, a couple of weeks ago in May, Walter told Independent Opinion (IOL), a news website based in South Africa, in an interview that chances are low that the former Proteas captain will return. However, he did not entirely rule it out from happening.
“First and foremost, for 50-over cricket, there’s a slight chance, but not a great one, that Faf would play. He’s got a few things that he needs to take care of physically that will allow him to continue to play T20 cricket, which is ultimately his bread and butter. I think it’s unlikely.” Walter told.
He added, “It would be naive not to think that a guy like Faf would strengthen the squad. Of course, he would strengthen the squad; he’s showing himself to be one of the best players in the world. But as I said, it probably won’t happen. We are looking at a quality individual with really strong values and a guy who’s led his country. To fit him back into the team, for me, it’s not something that I worry too much about.”
But now du Plessis hinted that his comeback to the national team is closer than expected. He confirmed that he was in touch with Walter, about the 50-over World Cup in India later this year but hinted that any Proteas return was most likely for the T20 World Cup in the West Indies and United States in July 2024.
In an interview with NDTV, Faf said :
“I’m very grateful that the new coach has reached out to tell me that he would like me to be a part (of the team). At the moment, it’s just conversations to talk about where I’m at physically.”
“I’ve been struggling with a tennis elbow for about a year now. I’ve had some injections into that… It’s a conversation where I feel like you got to look at the balance of where I’m at physically, emotionally, and mentally. Right now, that balance is really good.” Faf expressed his views on the news channel. 50-over cricket is a different story. It’s a longer format. You’re on the field a lot more… We’ll cross that bridge after the IPL, moving into the latter part of the year.” he added.
“More than anything, we’ve spoken about the T20 World Cup next year in July, which is something we both want to make happen. That will be the focus point.” he ends the conversation with this.
Currently, RCB skipper Faf is having a dream run in the ongoing edition of the IPL 2023. Du Plessis is the tournament’s leading run-scorer, with 631 runs to his name. He’s the holder of the Orange cap too. On the other hand, the Proteas are assured of their place at the Cricket World Cup thanks to an eighth-place finish in the Super League.
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