Faf du Plessis eyes international comeback with T20 World Cup

|| CF DESK ||

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has expressed his thought on making a comeback to international cricket, eyeing participation in the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Du Plessis' hiatus from international matches dates back to the second Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2021, and his last appearance in white-ball cricket for South Africa was during a T20I contest against England in Cape Town in late 2020.

Despite the break, the 39-year-old has showcased promising performances at the domestic level. His noteworthy contribution was evident in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he amassed 730 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 14 innings, securing the second-highest run tally in the tournament, just behind Shubman Gill.

With his recent form and success in the IPL, du Plessis is gearing up for a potential return to the international arena, aiming to bolster South Africa's squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Du Plessis is currently in Abu Dhabi participating in another domestic tournament and has indicated he has been in discussions with new South Africa white-ball coach Rob Walter surrounding a potential return to the international fold prior to the start of the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies in the middle of next year.

"I believe that I can return to international cricket," du Plessis said.

"We have been speaking about this for the last couple of years. It's just figuring out the balance of the T20 World Cup next year. It's certainly something we have spoken about with the new coach."

Du Plessis, who led the team in the T20 World Cups of 2014 and 2016, has been absent from consideration in the last two editions of the tournament. Despite this, he has never officially announced his retirement from international white-ball cricket, Walter, has hinted at the possibility of du Plessis and several other experienced players making a return.

Walter left the door open for the potential return of du Plessis and a host of other experienced players recently when he mentioned a group of players that weren't considered for South Africa's upcoming tour of India.

“Given that some of our frontline bowlers are missing out and there are guys - let me throw it out there just to create some media hype - like Faf (du Plessis) and Rilee (Rossouw) as well as Quinny (de Kock) that could well be considered for a T20 World Cup,” Walter said.

“And then also the (South African domestic tournament) SA20 that happens next year - 80 percent of the side picks itself but there is definitely a space for other guys to get themselves into the conversation."

While du Plessis no longer holds a central playing contract with South Africa, he has 23 international centuries to his name across the three formats and believes he is still in good enough shape to return to playing cricket for his country.

"I do a lot of hard work to ensure I look after my body to be able to play this brilliant game we love so much," he added.

"When you do get a little bit older, you have to make sure you put in the work. Otherwise, the hamstring and other body parts do not work that well. There is a lot of fast running and a lot of stuff to make sure that level where you can play against the best players in the world” he added.