Faf du Plessis is recognised as one of the greatest South African cricketers in the annals of the sport. His impressive haul of 5,507 runs ranks as the 10th highest ever scored by a South African in ODI cricket, with only six players having notched more centuries. Among retired players, only Hashim Amla and AB de Villiers can boast a higher average than him. In T20 internationals, his supremacy is even more pronounced. He ranks sixth in the run-scoring charts with 1,466 runs, and among retired players, only JP Duminy has a higher average.
However, du Plessis is facing challenges as he approaches his 40th birthday in six months. Presently, he is in the midst of one of the worst runs of his career. Despite the widespread assumption of his selection for the 2024 World T20 in the Caribbean and the United States, many have overlooked his recent form. There was a prevailing belief that he would naturally score runs, with the main concern being his fitness and how well he would fit into the coach’s plans.
Just eight months ago, du Plessis was in top form on the T20 franchise circuit. In the inaugural season of the SA20, he scored 369 runs at an average of 41, ranking second on Cricinfo’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) tracker. He followed this with 730 runs in the IPL, averaging 56.15 and placing third on the MVP ladder for the tournament. The methodology behind the MVP calculation might not be entirely clear, but it reflected his excellent form at the time.
However, things have taken a drastic turn for the worse. In the Major League Cricket T20, a tournament akin to a semi-professional competition, du Plessis managed only 46 runs across seven games, averaging a meagre 6.57. He seemed to regain some form in the Caribbean Premier League, scoring 112 runs at an average of 37.33 and a strike rate of 147.36, but he had to withdraw early from the tournament due to a necessary elbow surgery. In the Abu Dhabi T10, he showed glimpses of form with a few scores around 30, but ended the tournament with disappointing scores of 1, 13, 8, and 4. This lacklustre form has followed him to the SA20, where his initial scores read 6, 7, and 10.
We began this article highlighting du Plessis’ many international accolades, and understandably, less may be required to prove his worthiness for selection compared to other cricketers. However, since the 2023 IPL, including all formats, he’s scored 305 runs at an average of 14.5. Narrowing down to his last half-dozen innings, the average drops to a mere six. This, coupled with his recent injuries, means that if selection for the World T20 hinges on form and fitness, du Plessis is rapidly running out of time to demonstrate both.
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