Faf’s advice to battered Aussies
SA SKIPPER: YOU HAVE TO TRY AND MAKE THAT SHIFT
The series is on the line in Adelaide today as South Africa take on Australia in the second ODI, but Proteas captain Faf du Plessis has given his opposition some advice on how to get themselves out of the deep hole they are currently in – get the focus back on cricket.
Australia, who lost the first ODI by six wickets with more than 20 overs to spare, are on a seven-match losing streak in the 50-over game with chaos reigning around them off the field as a clear-out of administrators follows the banning of key batsmen Steve Smith, who was also the captain, and David Warner, his deputy, for their part in the ball-tampering crisis in South Africa earlier this year.
“When I’ve been in Adelaide before, I was under pressure – first it was my Test debut and there were the usual nerves and then I tripped down the stairs and struggled to get my shoe back on, so it couldn’t have started much worse. And then last time here was Mintgate and both times I had to tell myself to just get through it all and that would then say a lot about my character.
“You need to focus on that, the outcome, rather than what you’re going through. Dealing with all the stuff away from the game is a huge factor in Australia and it’s always about more than just the cricket, but as a team you have to try and make that shift.
“A lot of people have resigned or been fired, and a couple have been banned, so a lot has changed since the Newlands incident and Australian cricket is trying to move forward. It’s their own decision how long that will take, but it’s never nice when it carries on too long. They need to get their focus back on cricket,” Du Plessis, who scored epic centuries in both of his previous Tests in Adelaide, said yesterday.
Meanwhile, Du Plessis said his team are still in a period of experimentation and fine-tuning ahead of next year’s World Cup.
“We’re still looking at combinations even though the obvious thing after a good win would be to play the same team. But we are trying to get guys more experience for the World Cup and also fine-tuning our balance. We’re still finding our feet in terms of balance, we have the right type of cricketers on the bus but we are still trying to find the perfect balance,” Du Plessis said.