South Africa's Test captain Faf du Plessis could retire after 2019 World Cup

What’s the story?

South Africa’s Test and T20I captain Faf du Plessis has marked the 2019 edition of the ICC World Cup for his retirement plans. The 32-year-old also affirmed that the 50-overs tournament would be the swansong for a ‘number of senior players’ within the Proteas camp.

In a candid chat for the May edition of the GQ Magazine, du Plessis revealed, “I see myself heading towards the 2019 World Cup playing all formats of the game and then calling time on my career.”

On AB de Villiers’ sabbatical from the Test arena, he felt, “I can't sit and say he should be playing Test cricket because the guy has been doing it for 12 years and 106 Test matches. It translates to so much time away from home and people have to understand that there is a human side of the decision to consider.

“For him, it's about spending more time at home and getting to the 2019 World Cup. He wants to ensure he remains mentally fresh and his body is still going strong. I fully respect AB's decision but I don't agree with it.”

The Background

Since making his debut in an ODI against India at Cape Town during January 2011, du Plessis has represented South Africa in 183 international matches across all three formats of the game. From those, he has accumulated more than 7000 runs with 52 fifty-plus scores.

The heart of the matter

With de Villiers taking a hiatus from Test cricket, du Plessis took over the captaincy mantle. Showcasing his attacking leadership skills, he played a key role in helping the Proteas win away series in Australia and New Zealand during the 2016/17 season.

Extra Cover: Faf du Plessis - No longer in the shadows

Even though South Africa seem to have coped efficiently without the presence of de Villiers, du Plessis reiterated that the team would love to utilise the dynamic right-hander’s immense experience as well as enterprising batsmanship in the middle-order.

What’s next?

de Villiers will be leading South Africa’s ODI team during the upcoming edition of the Champions Trophy. They will begin their campaign on June 3^rd against Sri Lanka at The Oval before taking on Pakistan at Edgbaston on the 7^th and India at The Oval on the 11^th.

Author’s Take

Even though he did not mention any names, it’s quite apparent that du Plessis was referring to the likes of de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn apart from himself. Seeing as South Africa have never come close to winning a World Cup, the 2019 edition should be an ideal platform for the golden generation to achieve glory and ride off into the sunset.