“World Cup is not on Du Plessis’ agenda,” He Said

If that indeed is the case, it would indicate a shift from Faf du Plessis’ perspective in February 2021 following his return from the Pakistan tour.

In his book “Faf: Through Fire,” he recounted a meeting he had with Graeme Smith, the then director of cricket at CSA, shortly after returning home.

During the meeting, du Plessis disclosed his intention to retire from Test cricket.

However, he expressed his desire to continue representing the Proteas in ODIs and T20s, as long as his form justified his selection.

Nevertheless, he proposed taking an extended break from ODIs, possibly up to a year or even two.

This suggestion aimed to provide Smith and Mark Boucher, the South African coach at the time, with the necessary time and freedom to build a formidable squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Du Plessis assured that if he remained competitive and the team required his services leading up to the tournament, he would make himself available.

Despite narrowly missing out on the orange cap by just two runs to Ruturaj Gaikwad in the 2021 IPL, Faf du Plessis was not selected for the T20I World Cup that same year.

The official explanation was that he and Cricket South Africa (CSA) failed to reach an agreement on terms.

However, in his book, du Plessis mentioned a disagreement he had with Mark Boucher during the Pakistan tour regarding the deployment of a nightwatch.

He noted that Boucher expressed displeasure with the way he had challenged him.

It remains unclear whether this disagreement played a role in du Plessis’ omission from the T20I World Cup.

Additionally, he also missed out on selection for the T20I World Cup in the previous year, despite being ranked seventh on the IPL runscoring charts.

This raises questions about the expiration of the two-year break from ODIs that du Plessis had suggested to Graeme Smith, which was due to end in February of this year.

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इंडिया नॅशनल क्रिकेट टीम

Although Faf du Plessis had only played eight matches for the Titans during Rob Walter’s tenure as coach from 2013/14 to 2015/16, they are believed to maintain a positive relationship and have had discussions since Walter assumed his current position in January.

Both individuals are regarded as sensible figures within the game, and any future decisions involving them are unlikely to be influenced by emotional or immature factors, nor driven by grudges.

Undoubtedly, Du Plessis has learned valuable lessons from the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, where, as captain of South Africa, he and then-coach Ottis Gibson faced repeated inquiries regarding AB de Villiers’ absence.

During the tournament, it was revealed that De Villiers, who retired from international cricket in May 2018, had made a casual offer to make a comeback.

However, the selectors rejected the offer, citing his unwillingness to participate in South Africa’s preparations leading up to the World Cup.

The repercussions of that saga had a detrimental impact on Faf du Plessis’ team, resulting in a lackluster performance as they managed to win only three out of their eight completed games.

This marked the poorest showing in South Africa’s history across their eight World Cup campaigns.

Du Plessis is surely keen to avoid a similar bombshell exploding over the heads of Temba Bavuma and Rob Walter during this year’s tournament.

When questioned about his stance on the matter, Du Plessis responded to Cricbuzz on Friday, stating, “I will discuss it further when the time is appropriate.

Currently, with my focus on the IPL, there is no urgency to address it.”

This concise statement might be one of the shortest replies ever given by the typically articulate and eloquent Du Plessis.

However, it is precisely the right response for him to provide at this juncture. His impeccable timing extends beyond the cricket field.