Faf up for game time
Proteas captain Faf du Plessis is among a group of South African Test players who will turn out for their respective franchises in this week’s domestic four-day matches as part of preparations for the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at SuperSport Park.
Most of the Proteas featured in the Mzansi Super League (MSL)‚ which was won by the Jozi Stars‚ and coach Ottis Gibson and Du Plessis want them to taste red-ball cricket before they take on the highly unpredictable Pakistan.
Du Plessis‚ who has been included in the Titans squad to face the Knights at Mangaung Oval‚ said he would have liked to see players take a rest after the MSL.
But Du Plessis realises that this would not be ideal as they have not played red-ball cricket in a long time.
“There’s been a lot of cricket played‚ so you want your guys to be fresh but we also haven’t played a lot of red-ball cricket recently‚” said Du Plessis.
“The games start on Wednesday and they finish on December 22 and on the next day the Proteas assemble.
“That’s three days before the start of the Test in Centurion.
“It’s not ideal because you want to play the red-ball cricket and you also want the guys to rest and be a bit fresher.”
“I would’ve liked to see the guys get a bit more rest and get their batteries recharged because it’s a very hectic season for the Proteas,” the Proteas captain added.
On the other hand‚ Pakistan’s batsmen will get an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the inland conditions when they take part in a threeday tour match against a South African Invitation XI at Willowmoore Park in Benoni on Wednesday.