Faf can now focus on his own game

GRAEME Smith hopes that Faf du Plessis can now focus on his own game having been relieved of the burden of captaincy.

Du Plessis announced his resignation as Test and T20 captain on Monday, and later the same day was selected for the T20 team for the series against Australia, where he will be an “ordinary” member of the squad that will be led by Quinton de Kock.

“It will be interesting for him. He’s just got to find his space again,” Smith, Cricket SA’s interim director of cricket said. Smith had some experience of being relieved of the captaincy and becoming an ordinary squad member in the last couple of years of his career in the limited-over formats when AB de Villiers took over. He stressed the importance of Du Plessis continuing to be forthright with teammates and the side’s management.

“These things require honesty within the environment. He and Quinny will need to have a good rapport and the same with Mark (Boucher), so that everyone can make him feel welcome within the space and the environment. The best way to deal with this is to be honest, put your feelings out there and let everyone deal with it,” Smith said.

Du Plessis’ openness was one of the hallmarks of his captaincy so communicating his feelings and how he views his new status within the team shouldn’t be difficult for him.

For Du Plessis, it’s a case of scoring runs again, having found that difficult in the Test format in the last few months.

“One thing we have tried to stress with him through the last few weeks and even again now, is to focus on his own game, become a team man – which he is – and just step away from the need to control everything and the pressure that comes with that,” Smith said.

Du Plessis was South Africa’s leading scorer in the 50-over format last year and has been one of the country’s best T20 batsmen.

The news yesterday that Temba Bavuma wouldn’t be available for the first T20 international against Australia on Friday, means Du Plessis could find himself opening alongside De Kock at the Wanderers, a position he is not unfamiliar with having done so for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.

Smith, also said that there wasn’t a pressing need to announce Du Plessis’ successor as Test captain right now, with SA only due to play its next Test in July.