Johannesburg - Faf du Plessis credits JP Duminy as the one person whose friendship he really cherishes.
“I made many friends through my cricket career but the one relationship which stands out would be the one I have with JP (Duminy),” Du Plessis told the Saturday Star this week. “He was my sounding board while and that has grown even outside of the Proteas environment.”
Du Plessis has opened up about his time as a Proteas player following the release of his autobiography “Faf Through Fire” which hit the book stores last week.
The book has caused a stir as Du Plessis bares his soul in his new book.
The former cricket captain writes about how he lost all respect for South African batting great Daryll Cullinan following an incident in a change-room when he was just starting out in the senior ranks.
In an extract from the book, Du Plessis reveals how one day in the change-room he sat down next to Cullinan to absorb as much information from the senior player as he could, only for the veteran batter to tell him: “What the f**k are you doing next to me? Why the f**k are you sitting here?”
He added that Cullinan continued: “Youngster, take your bag and f**k off! Jacques Rudolph is a Test player, and he’s not even sitting next to me. He sits on a chair, but you sit on a f**king sofa.”
Du Plessis says after that he never had a relationship with Cullinan.
“Our relationship is the same. I never had a relationship with him then and I don’t have a relationship with him now.”
Du Plessis, who gave up the test captaincy at the beginning of 2020 and also quit ODI cricket, has been overlooked by the Proteas in the T20 format, possibly due to a breakdown in the relationship between the player and coach, Mark Boucher.
This, too, is revealed in his book by the 38-year-old, who captained the Proteas in all three formats.
Du Plessis says he is delighted to have finally released his autobiography.
“I am very excited and nervous. I spent nearly two years putting it together so to finally see it out is a proud moment for me. The feedback has been great, I have many people stopping to ask questions. People are engaging with it.”
While thrilled to finally have his autobiography, the batsman admits that he was never interested in writing a book until lockdown hit the country.
“A few people asked me over the years if I would be interested in writing a book but I wasn’t really there. The lockdown gave me a lot of time, it was frustrating because I wasn’t able to do what I usually do, which was to play cricket.
“I felt it was the right time to try, I became so engrossed in the process. I spent many hours going through note books and stories, sifting through my memories and writing about my journey. That made me realise that I had a lot of stories to tell and share.”
The former Proteas skipper says the process took “hours and hours.”
“It took a lot of time and effort but it was important for me to go at the pace of the book. You only have one shot and I wanted it to be perfect. It was very enjoyable, everything I do is about purpose and writing gave me purpose.”
He says it was also very important to bare his soul even though it left him feeling vulnerable.
“When I started the process I realised that the only way I could write a book is if I’m being 100% honest. There was no point in doing it if I was going to be skirting around issues or being disingenuous. I wanted to do something true to me, and be really vulnerable and open myself up. It was tough because I opened up my inner soul to everyone.”
Du Plessis goes in depth about his time as a Protea, saying it was a dream come true to represent his country.
“It was a very special culture to be a part of. I’m grateful for everything I had during my time with the Proteas. I was living something I wanted to do since I was a kid and it was always a dream. I also made some great friends along the way.”
Captaining his country was also something that he admittedly never imagined doing in his cricketing career.
“South Africa is a beautiful and unique country, to captain a team like the Proteas teaches you so much about yourself and that’s probably the one thing I am most grateful for. I wasn’t necessarily the greatest talent out there, but was someone who maximised every inch to make the best of their career. If you had told me that I would captain South Africa when I started out, I don’t think I would have believed you.
“There were some amazing captains before me, but I’d like to think that I brought something different. That’s something I hope will stand as my legacy.”
His time as a Protea player was however also filled with some difficult and challenging moments.
“There are many moments that I go into in the book including the ball tampering incident ‘zipgate’ in Dubai, ‘mintgate’ in Australia and the last couple of years of my career in the Proteas’ camp.”
However Du Plessis looks back at his career with very fond memories and says his bond and connection with his teammates was a special one.
“I got on very well with all of my team mates during my time with the Proteas.”
He says his family has also played a huge role in his career and are the backbone of his success.
“My family is very important to me. They have given me purpose and perspective, two very important pillars in life.”