Oudtshoorn Courant

Jean most happy on

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One of SWD's brightest cricketing prospects, Jean du Plessis, has represente­d South Africa at various levels and earlier this month earned his fifth consecutiv­e contract with SWD. Blake Linder of Knysna Plett Herald takes a look at his rise up the ranks and what makes the young sportsman tick.

Du Plessis is homegrown in every sense of the word, having been born in Plettenber­g Bay on 24 November 1998, growing up in the town and eventually attending Glenwood House School in George. He took to cricket like a duck to water, starting at a young age with a gift from his father. "It all started when my father bought me my first bat as a gift – ever since then I had him throw tennis balls to me in the garden and even on the beach," Du Plessis recalls. "I have fond memories of my brother and me playing out on the lawn for hours on end, and we still do it to this day."

He made his first provincial appearance for South Western Districts (SWD) at age nine, when he was selected for the u.11 side. He went on to represent SWD in every age group since then, consistent­ly going from strength to strength.

In the footsteps of heroes

Growing up, Du Plessis always looked up to and idolised the likes of AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis. At the moment, he looks up to Marnus Labuschane and Virat Kohli "for their excellent techniques and the way they think about and approach the game".

He also likens himself to cricketers such as De Villiers and Jonny Bairstow. "They both play/played a similar role in their respective teams to what I do now. Both are excellent with the gloves and in the field and remain top-order batsmen. I strive to add value to whatever team environmen­t I am in, like they do," says Du Plessis. In 2015, his Grade 11 and u.17 year, he made his breakthrou­gh on the national scene when he was selected for the SA u.17 team to play at the SA Cubs tournament.

The following year he made his final age-group representa­tion for SWD for the u.19 team before he was called up to the SWD contracted squad for the first time at the end of his matric year in

2016. That year he

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