Cape Town - Dale Steyn has expressed his regret that former national captain Faf du Plessis is not part of the Proteas squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup set to be held in the United Arab Emirates.
Du Plessis showed off his class once again in the Indian Premier League final on Friday evening with a superb 86 off just 59 balls (7x4, 3x6) to spearhead the Chennai Super Kings’ charge to their fourth IPL title.
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The 37-year-old was superb throughout the IPL, as he accumulated 633 runs at an average of 45.21, with a strike rate of 138.20. He finished just two runs shy of the tournament’s leading run-scorer Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“You have to feel for Faf. I feel for Faf,” Steyn said of his former Proteas captain on ESPN Cricinfo’s T20 Timeout show.
“He is in the country where the T20 World Cup is about to happen and he almost scored 90 in an IPL final and he is going to be on the next plane EK475 back to Cape Town in two days.
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“I can’t even talk about it, but it blows my mind. He was fantastic. He will be disappointed that he missed out on the orange cap, but he will go home with a winners’ medal.”
Du Plessis retired from Test cricket in 2020, but had indicated that remained available to play all forms of white-ball cricket for the Proteas.
"That was a great day. I am really grateful for today. It was also my 100th game in the IPL. I have loved my time here. I have done almost ten years here - two seasons were a bit of a break,” said Du Plessis, who was named Player of the Match.
“Number four in the trophy cabinet is really good. Gaikwad is a special talent. Indian cricket is blessed with talent. He is getting better. He's got a super, bright future ahead of him. I have a word with him, but I don't think he needs me."
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