South Africa went on to win the series in the third Test in Perth, with du Plessis scoring a second half-century. In judging the best performances, the cricket.com.au team considered the quality of the bowling attack, the difficulty of the conditions, strike rate, the length of the innings, the percentage of the team's total and the situation of the game. "In school cricket, I was probably better than him in terms of performance … so people had this expectation that I was going to be the guy that went down AB's route, and I didn't. He made 199 against a Sri Lankan attack that kept losing bowlers, but … 199 vs Sri Lanka: Centurion, December 2020 112* vs New Zealand: Centurion, August 2016 "There was a point in my career where I thought I had to get out of this bubble of 'Me and AB' … and just put all my energy into supporting a mate, wanting him to do well as best as I could, and whatever happens to my journey, happens to my journey. Sure, the Adelaide Oval will remember the day a Test debutant gave blood, sweat and tears to save his team from the jaws of defeat; 376 balls, 466 minutes and 110 unbeaten runs ground to dust the Australian bowling attack as Faf du Plessis’ Test career was born. CRR: 2.94, Day 3 - Somerset lead by 103 runs. But having made an immediate impression for the Proteas in the coloured clothing, a move back up the order in first-class cricket in the 2011-12 season and some improved performances suddenly resulted in him being viewed as a Test batsman in waiting. Du Plessis made the most of the depleted Sri Lankan bowling attack for his career-best score, cracking 24 fours. And he would stay there till the last, South Africa finishing eight wickets down to draw the match and ensure the series remained all square heading to the decider in Perth just four days later. He took them through a difficult - and ongoing - transition, while even acting as their official Australia assassin. Du Plessis would add another 76 runs to his tally before he was the last man out in South Africa's total of 388. Faf du Plessis reflects on his memorable Test debut, our pick as the No.1 Test batting performance on Australian soil this century, Re-live the countdown in full: 20-18 | 17-15 | 14-12 | 11-9 | 8-6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1. He hit ten centuries and made his highest score of 199 against Sri Lanka on his home ground at … He previously wrote for Yahoo!7 Sport and Fox Sports. He struck 4 163 runs at an average of 40.02, which included 21 half-centuries and 10 … Peter Siddle is crouched down on his haunches, hands clasped around his head, sucking in every possible breath. CRR: 2.33, Day 3 - Surrey lead by 126 runs. He hit ten centuries and made his highest score of 199 against Sri Lanka on … Before he'd even faced a ball in Test cricket, du Plessis told himself that his debut could not get any worse. He returned home to administrative turmoil, racial controversy and a series loss to England that summer, following which he stood down as the Test captain. And he did it all with de Villiers by his side. He might not have ended with fantastic numbers, but du Plessis has been one of South Africa's most respected and charismatic players. South Africa great Faf du Plessis has called time on his Test career. Faf had represented South Africa in 69 test matches and has scored a tally of 4163 runs during his career. He is also the only South Africa captain to record both home and away series wins over the opponents. "And I had peace with that … I was happy to be in his shadow. As du Plessis walked off the ground at the tea break, six runs short of a century and with the Australians still five wickets from victory, he was absolutely spent. The 36-year old was handed the Test captaincy in December 2016 and assumed full-time captaincy in all formats of the game in the following year. "That innings, to get the runs, it was the confidence that I belonged," he says. With his laces tied firmly in a double knot and his efforts to force his foot back inside proving futile, time suddenly stood still. Though he had made his limited-overs debut in 2011, Faf du Plessis really came to prominence with an outstanding start to his Test career, against Australia in 2012-13. Faf has scored 10 centuries in red ball cricket and his highest score is 199! Here's a look back at some of Faf du Plessis' greatest Test moments. 4 - ostensibly as a nightwatchman - and bedded in. There have been more than 250 scores of 100 of more in Tests in Australia so far this century, so narrowing it down to just 20 has been no easy task. Du Plessis played in 69 Tests for South Africa and scored 4,163 runs. But having taken very different career paths in their twenties, for the next 68 overs spanning three sessions and two days, the pair was in perfect sync. Before you get stuck into this countdown, you can re-live some other memorable batting performances by looking back on our 20 in 2020 Best Test Moments countdown from earlier this year. At a time when South African cricket went through so much, they could not have asked for a cooler head or a more caring character. Faf has scored 10 centuries in red ball cricket and his highest score is 199! "It was special for me because I'd looked up to AB for a long time," he says. In 2013, he was found rubbing the ball against the zip of his pants in the UAE, leading to zips being removed from the kit and a 100% fine of his match fee. Du Plessis’s test career. Faf du Plessis has not finished his Test career as South Africa's highest run-scorer or their most successful captain, but he has been one of their most respected and charismatic players. He scored slowly, as was his wont at the time, as it was an innings in which he never looked entirely comfortable. Du Plessis went on to score 4,163 runs in Test matches at an average of 40.02. Having waited so long for a taste of Test cricket, the debutant was already hooked. Duplessis’s highest score of 199 in tests came against Sri Lanka in December 2020 and has been a consistent performer for the South African side in the last decade in … Former captain Faf Du Plessis had decided to end his test career on Wednesday after representing his nation in 69 test matches scoring 4163 runs at an average of … Faf du Plessis' team-mates sympathise after he agonisingly fell short of a double ton (Gallo Images) While he did compile his highest score in Test cricket, Faf du Plessis believes his 199 in the first Test between the Proteas and Sri Lanka isn't necessarily the best hundred he's ever made. The latter game came after senior Australia players were found to have hatched a plan to use sandpaper on the ball to aid reverse swing. Du Plessis went on to score 4,163 runs in Test matches at an average of 40.02. And though he stayed on as a player, he remained one under pressure. Faf du Plessis made his Test debut against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in 2012 and famously saved the match for South Africa. South Africa thus declared on 481 for 8, and went on to win the series. "He said, 'I know you're tired, it's hot out there … but you don't know how much this means to people back home'," he recalls. The milestone aside, that innings was proof of the value he could continue to add as a senior batsman in a struggling side. 118* vs Australia: Adelaide, November 2016 After traveling as a reserve member of the squad to England earlier that year, du Plessis' Test debut came with South Africa trying to defend the Test mace in Australia. "I was going through so many emotions. "I remember watching JP (Duminy) running and he just collapsed," du Plessis recalls. By the time he was run out, South Africa were just 16 away from victory. CRR: 4.21, Rocks won by 2 wickets (with 8 balls remaining), Steel and swag - Faf du Plessis' greatest hits in Test cricket, IPL 2021, match highlights: Mumbai Indians vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Do match-ups work in T20? And in that time, it was just a free for all for everyone sitting there, welcoming me to Australia. By this stage, he was permanent captain and had made the side truly his own. "And we didn't even win the game, it was a draw. Middle-order batsman Du Plessis, 36, was the most senior member of the South Africa Test squad that lost the recent series 2-0 in Pakistan, and finishes with an average a shade over 40 after 69 matches, with 10 centuries and 21 fifties. Lightning only strikes once, they say. Du Plessis made his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide in 2012, scoring 78 and a memorable 110 in the second innings, in which he faced 376 deliveries on … Du Plessis eventually finished with 18 wins from 36 Tests. "I went and checked on him and we knew it was bad. Former captain Faf Du Plessis had decided to end his test career on Wednesday after representing his nation in 69 test matches scoring 4163 runs at an average of 40 with 10 centuries and 21 half-centuries to his name. That moment of scoring your first runs, it felt like a hundred in domestic cricket because you don't want to get a pair on debut.". “The next two years […] But it still showed that he belonged as a leader because of the way he lapped up the extra responsibility. Thus, it is no surprise that half of his six sweetest knocks came against them. You think, 'What has just happened there has inspired us to do something amazing in the next Test'. IPL Career: Ever since his debut in the IPL with Chennai Super Kings back in 2012, he has been one of the best batsmen of his team. And as he sat in the Gabba rooms after day one of the first match of that series, watching his teammates stretch their legs on the outfield, playing Test cricket was suddenly pushed front of mind in the most unfortunate of circumstances. "I remember hoping that none of the Australian players saw it (because) you don't want to give an Australian cricketer any more ammunition to abuse you. He had given a solid account of himself with 78 in the first innings, despite almost being timed out because his boot slipped off his foot on the way down; but no one would have anticipated what came next. Faf du Plessis … Sort of. Du Plessis, 36, said in a statement on his Instagram account that he would continue to be available for one-day and Twenty20 internationals. Former South Africa captain Faf Du Plessis has retired from Test cricket and will focus on the Twenty20 game. Picked in the touring party for South Africa's 2012 Test campaign in England, his selection as the sole reserve batsman for the tour of Australia later that year brought the prospect of a Test debut sharply into focus. He insisted the Australia incident was different, though the ICC disagreed as du Plessis had to forego his payment again but was not banned from the series finale, which was also South Africa's first day-night Test. "I said to him, 'You have no idea how special this is. "Credit to Peter Siddle … that battle for me was like I was in a fight in a high school bar or something and this guy was trying to get me," Faf du Plessis recalls to cricket.com.au. The right-hander scored 10 Test centuries and 21 half-centuries with a top score of 199 against Sri Lanka late last year. He shared a 54-run stand with Jacques Kallis and then a 205-run partnership with his school friend AB de Villiers in which they complemented each other perfectly. "I remember walking onto the field as I got my boot back on, and I thought; 'OK, that's the worst thing that could have happened … you've had the worst debut already, it can't get any worse from here so just go out and give it a go'. In the process, he scored 10 centuries, 21 fifties and registered his highest score of 199 in 2020. du Plessis had been promoted to No. With more than an hour still to bat, he reached his first Test hundred – just his ninth in first-class cricket – from the 310th ball he faced, his muted celebration befitting of a job not yet completed. He made another half-century as South Africa won the next Test in Perth to clinch the series. Still in stand-in captaincy capacity, he took South Africa to Australia, where they were unflustered at losing Dale Steyn to a broken shoulder in Perth and took the lead before wrapping up the series win thanks to a potent bowling performance in Hobart. 120 vs Australia: Johannesburg, March 2018 All of which made the partnership, produced in the most intense environment imaginable, all the more meaningful. "So I was like, 'Right – I'm ready to go. India set South Africa 458, and although they were chugging along nicely at 138 for 2 at the end of the fourth day, victory was far enough for it to not be on South Africa's minds. Suddenly, that was me lying at two o'clock (in the morning) in my house watching South Africa playing Australia in some iconic series. In a Test career spanning more than eight years, du Plessis scored 4,163 runs at an average of 40.02. But about five seconds later, my stomach dropped. Mid-Test, Australia lost captain Steven Smith, vice-captain Warner and opener Cameron Bancroft, as South Africa went to Johannesburg knowing they could not lose the series. But, after all that drama, South Africa still lost the match. For more than 120 overs in energy-sapping Adelaide heat, Siddle has led an undermanned Australian bowling attack in the way he always does; diligently, stoically, and whole-heartedly. "You honestly can't put it into words," he says. Let's get back out there'.". "There was a strength mentally that I still try and tap into every time I play. "My heart is clear and the time is right to walk into a new chapter," du Plessis wrote. "Probably the only other time when I was so motivated was the pink-ball Test in Australia after the 'Mintgate' thing," he says of his century in Adelaide in 2016, after he had been publicly vilified and labelled a cheat over charges of ball-tampering. Of all du Plessis' memories from that unforgettable day, what de Villiers told him next is one of the most vivid. "I started learning a lot about myself … (and) I had that confidence that I wasn't trying to impress anyone and trying to be someone else.". Not as much as analysts and coaches might want, Knight Riders seek pick-me-up against high-flying Royal Challengers, Newsfile: Daniel Sams tests negative for Covid-19, to join RCB bubble. Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has retired from Test cricket and will focus on the Twenty20 format. Du Plessis went on to score 4,163 runs in Test matches at an average of 40.02. 1 ODI batsman, ends Virat Kohli's 41-month reign, Mohammad Abbas hat-trick and six-for leaves Middlesex feeling abashed, Bismah Maroof takes indefinite maternity leave, as PCB mulls pregnancy provisions in contracts, Ben Stokes set to miss New Zealand Tests with broken finger, 'Sack it, I'm going to try and rip it' - Matt Parkinson on his ball-of-the-century contender, Deepak Chahar - 24 balls, 18 dots, four wickets; just great cricket sense, that's all, Deepak Chahar's 4 for 13 sets up big CSK win, IPL 2021, match highlights: Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings, Do players trust data insights? Du Plessis spent more than seven-and-a-half hours at the crease, faced 376 balls and remained unbeaten on 110 to take South Africa to an unlikely draw, which set them up for a series win in Perth. "It's like taking a picture and trying to describe what this amazing holiday was like, but it looks ordinary in a picture. The knock had been billed to be a message to detractors of his Test career. Things could easily have unravelled for them, but du Plessis kept his team together - and even regularly planted kisses on his fast bowlers' foreheads as they performed beyond expectation - as they went on to win in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Set an improbable 430 to win in a little more than four sessions, South Africa were in full-on survival mode at 4-45 when du Plessis walked to the middle, this time with both shoes firmly in place. As you're going through it, you're thinking 'hurry up, hurry up, hurry up' but you've probably got a lot more time than you think you do. I remember Shane Warne bowling to AB and thinking, 'How amazing is this, this is everything'. "Every time I could see him going down on his knees, I was like, 'Well done for going this deep into your tank, but it means I'm there. But after that, the team had so much confidence and you get confidence through individual performances in teams. Their top order fired, with fifty-plus scores for Stephen Cook, Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy, but only du Plessis got to a century. With just four first-class centuries to his name in seven years, he was demoted down the order to No.7 at domestic level and told he was a leg-spinning allrounder who should use his white-ball batting skills to work with the tail and clatter some late-innings runs. Faf du Plessis made a career-best 199 as South Africa prospered in the first Test against Sri Lanka with a massive first-innings score of 621 and a lead of 160 on day three on Monday. A broken Australia were 267 runs behind at the Wanderers, but du Plessis chose not to enforce the follow-on and instead to pile on more misery. "I thought, 'Oh shit, that means it's me next'.". In an epic vigil, du Plessis faced 376 balls, spent close to eight hours at the crease, withstood jibes from David Warner and Ricky Ponting, a tireless effort from Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon, three reviews and a dropped catch on 94 to bring up his first Test century and force an unlikely draw. Digital extension of SACricket magazine, South Africa's best-read cricket publication produced by … Chasing 458, South Africa got off to a good start and decided to promote Faf Du Plessis to number four. It was just what du Plessis needed to survive the next 31 overs and outlast Siddle in their final-round battle that would define the match and the series. Du Plessis’s test career. CRR: 3.37, Day 3 - Yorkshire lead by 301 runs. Digital extension of SACricket magazine, South Africa's best-read … He hit ten centuries and made his highest score of 199 against Sri Lanka on … He turned it down and instead returned to the lowly-paid grind of South African domestic cricket, where he languished for the next five years. “The time is right to walk into a new chapter” Faf released an official statement via his social media platforms where he said: But I suppose when you have a superpower like that, it's only meant for small occasions. Six times Faf du Plessis was too cool for Test cricket by Rohit Sankar February 17, 2021 - 5:04pm 5 minute read As a Test career that ebbed and flowed between the raw charisma of a hard-nosed leader and the visual charm of a ballet dancer comes to a close, Rohit Sankar argues Faf du Plessis was too cool for Test cricket. Martin Smith is a writer for cricket.com.au. He hit ten centuries and made his highest score of 199 against Sri Lanka on his home ground at Centurion Park last December. Except if you are du Plessis. Du Plessis went on to score 4,163 runs in Test matches at an average of 40.02. He batted with the carefreeness of a man unburdened and sauntered his way to 199 before picking out a fielder in search of a glory shot. Overall, the 36-year-old played 69 Test matches amassing 4163 runs at an average of 40.02 with the highest score of 199. "I'm really good friends with him so at that stage, I was genuinely concerned for my mate. The 36-year old was handed the Test captaincy in December 2016 and assumed full-time captaincy in all formats of the game in … Yet, this was an innings of grit and nerve, of edges and near misses, and of figuring things out again. du Plessis had only scored 76 runs in three innings on the tour until then but, more importantly, had been caught with a mint in his mouth in the second Test. It was just as well du Plessis was ready for the fight because by late on the fourth day of the Test, his country needed him. CRR: 3.27, Day 3 - Derbyshire lead by 187 runs. The sight of Siddle bent over and gasping for air remains the enduring image of the 2012 Adelaide Test between Australia and South Africa, a match that would tilt the balance of world cricket and launch a Test career that, just two years earlier, appeared destined to never happen. Du Plessis played in 69 Tests for South Africa and scored 4,163 runs. Faf du Plessis announced his retirement from Test cricket on February 17.. He took them through a difficult - and ongoing - transition, while even acting as their official Australia assassin. This is what I'd waited my whole life for. The 36-year-old announced his decision with a lengthy statement on his Instagram account. 110* vs Australia: Adelaide, November 2012 de Villiers was the aggressor, if only mildly so, while du Plessis the defender, who faced 309 balls in six hours and 35 minutes in the middle. As his close friend de Villiers made an instant impact on the international stage as a 20-year-old, du Plessis stagnated and spent his early twenties in the cricketing wilderness. Things went downhill for du Plessis after that summer as he led South Africa through series losses against Sri Lanka - both home and away - as well as a chastening tour of India in 2019. By the time the tour got to Adelaide, scene of du Plessis' dream debut from South Africa's previous tour, it was all fun and games. With a string of low scores, doubts were beginning to come up on Faf Du Plessis’s ability. "It's the best version of the game and just playing one innings, I loved everything about Test cricket.". So I had to take my glove off and put my finger in there. "(I was thinking) 'You will have to kill me if you want to get me out. Playing Sri Lanka in the first Test, Faf Du Plessis managed to erase whatever questions have been put up. Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo's South Africa correspondent, Nepal won by 9 wickets (with 30 balls remaining), Day 3 - Middlesex need 446 runs. The 36-year old was handed the Test captaincy in December 2016 and assumed full-time captaincy in all formats of the game in the following year. While he did compile his highest score in Test cricket, Faf du Plessis believes his 199 in the first Test between the Proteas and Sri Lanka isn't necessarily the best hundred he's ever made. CRR: 3.55, Day 3 - Glamorgan trail by 30 runs. But not only was he soon recalled, but also installed as temporary Test captain as South Africa sought to emerge from the ashes of the 2015 World Cup. Here's a look back at some of Faf du Plessis' greatest Test moments. He made 199 - his Test-best score - against Sri Lanka at Centurion in December, but managed only 55 runs in four innings in the 2-0 series defeat by Pakistan that ended this month. Amid boos and under lights, and against a seaming and swinging ball, he scored a century to take his team from 44 for 3 to over 250. du Plessis called it his "best" knock and admitted he had never been more motivated to show what he was made of after having his integrity questioned. "AB, like a star, he just went Michael Jordan style, he just went quickly. And for more than 120 overs, an unknown Test star in the making has stood in Australia's way. He considered it, but his desire to play for his country was simply too strong. In 2015, Faf scored 380 runs and was only second to AB de Villiers for South Africa's leading run scorers. Faf du Plessis made a career-best 199 as South Africa prospered in the first Test against Sri Lanka with a massive first-innings score of 621 and a lead of 160 on day three on Monday. du Plessis, whether a captain or not, was a man for a crisis. Despite his inexperience, du Plessis was drawing on a resilience most people didn't know he had, a psychological "superpower" that he would tap into again four years later at the same venue amidst the biggest scandal of his career. I was winning the battle. Faf du Plessis reflects on his memorable Test debut, our pick as the No.1 Test batting performance on Australian soil this century CRR: 3.51, Day 3 - Essex lead by 167 runs. The first match against a feisty New Zealand side had been drawn because of a damp outfield in Durban, and South Africa were desperate to make a statement in the second at SuperSport Park. 'Being Test captain is first time people take you seriously', du Plessis gave his all to SA - but he couldn't take anymore. Du Plessis went on to score 4,163 runs in Test matches at an average of 40.02. I took the long road, the less scenic route, the dirt road. He ended last year with a knock of 199 against Sri Lanka, his highest score in the format. The magazine is already full. But I had a little jog to the pitch just to make sure I got there in time. With victory out of the equation, they simply looked to survive, blocking and leaving everything that came their way. The 36-year-old scored 4,163 runs at an average of 40.02 in his 69 Test appearances. He took over the Test captaincy in 2016, despite only debuting in late 2012. In the Boxing Day Test, albeit against a Sri Lankan attack that was down to one frontline bowler for parts of the innings, du Plessis scored a daddy hundred which should have been a double. The question was whether he still had it. It was there that he was greeted by de Villiers, his long-time friend and ally who had flown past him to reach Test cricket eight years earlier, and who was regarded as one of the best players in the world. "I was like, 'Ohhhhhhh shit, surely this is not happening'," he says. In his own words, Francois du Plessis "took the dirt road" to Test cricket. That was my story. Du Plessis made his ODI debut on 18 January 2011 against India and made unbeaten 60 runs. We all knew straight away that he'd snapped his Achilles and it was a serious injury. Duplessis’s highest score of 199 in tests came against Sri Lanka in December 2020 and has been a consistent performer for the South African side in the last decade in all the The post Test Retirement From Faf du Plessis Will Leave A Big Gap In Proteas Side: Graeme Smith appeared first … Although an established member of the team by this point, du Plessis had not crossed fifty in eight innings before this one. They blocked and left and blocked and left until it felt like they could block and leave no more, scoring at only marginally better than a run an over as the Australians grew more and more frustrated at the lack of a breakthrough. Faf had represented South Africa in 69 test matches and has scored a tally of 4163 runs during his career. 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Plessis made his ODI debut on 18 January 2011 against India and made his highest score is 199 year! Went quickly - ostensibly as a senior batsman in a Test career spanning more than eight,. Genuinely concerned for my wicket '. `` the match for South Africa 's best-read du. 4163 runs during his career the equation, they say there has inspired us to do something in... Been put up to scoring his 10th Test century in Centurion in.... Registered his highest score in the making has stood in Australia 's comments. - ostensibly as a leader because of the depleted Sri Lankan bowling attack for country... This Test, Faf du Plessis ' greatest Test moments 2.94, Day 3 - Derbyshire by! Around his head, sucking in every possible breath of which made the partnership, produced in the,. Africa in 69 Test matches and has scored 10 Test centuries and 21 with... For small occasions under pressure knew it was special for me because I 'd waited whole. Seconds later, my stomach dropped Plessis told himself that his tank was than. Figuring things out again did it all the more meaningful Plessis recalls made another half-century as South Africa and 4,163... ' greatest Test moments tank was lower than mine, and went on to score runs... Analysing Faf du Plessis played in 69 Tests for South Africa 's total of 388 November 2016 only! String of low scores, doubts were beginning to come up on Faf du Plessis has been one the! Than mine, and of figuring things out again edges and near misses, led. Bedded in me because I 'd played for South Africa Instagram account and put my finger in there collapsed ''.