Published: Aug 17, 2015, 09:19 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 17, 2015, 09:19 PM (IST)
Faf Du Plessis is unlikely to be fit for the three One-Day International (ODI) series against New Zealand, which is set to begin on August 19. South Africa’s T20 International captain had injured himself ahead of the first T20I match against New Zealand few days back. As a result, AB de Villiers led The Proteas in both the games of the two-match series, which ended at 1-1. Du Plessis has apparently not yet recovered from a knee injury and it highly likely that Farhaan Behardien will replace him in the playing XI. “Faf seems to be struggling at the moment. We are considering bringing an extra batsman into the group but that batsman will be a stand-in in case someone else gets injured because Farhaan was the stand-in. That means Farhaan will play now if Faf isn’t fit and we’ll probably be reshuffling our batting order,” Russell Domingo, the South Africa coach, said. POLL: Who is the better captain, Kane Williamson or Faf du Plessis?
With JP Duminy ruled out of the series as well, it is highly likely that either Rilee Rossouw or David Miller will bat at No.3, where du Plessis would have batted. Behardien might come lower down the order at either No.5 or No.6. This will probably be Behardien’s best chance to cement his place in the side. “Not having JP and Faf available helps us with the depth in our one-day batting unit and gives a chance to guys like Farhaan, Rilee and Miller to try and fight for a position,” Domingo said, according to espncricinfo.com.
“But not having Faf hampers the stability of our batting line-up. Hashim [Amla] does that stabilising job and then we’ve got a host of guys who really look to score quickly. So finding the right balance between attack and defence is going to be important for us in the one-day format, he added. READ: AB de Villiers will provide fireworks at the top of the batting line-up: Faf du Plessis
Domingo also reflected on the second T20I against New Zealand saying that he was disappointed with the team’s effort. “I was particularly disappointed in the chase. I thought we were a little bit frenetic and there were probably too many shots played,” Domingo said.
Praising Behardien, Domingo said, “Farhaan batted really well – he has worked hard on his game. He takes a lot of flak in the public and in the media but he has got a hell of a one-day and T20 record at franchise level and it was good to see him transfer some of that potential and skill onto the international stage. “He was the stand-out batter for us. He showed really good composure and played some good cricket shots.”
Domingo also believes that New Zealand are reliant on their openers, Martin Guptill and skipper Kane Williamson to get them off to a good start and if The Proteas can knock them off early, half their job is done as they lack some experienced middle-order batsmen. “They seem to be reliant on two batsmen at the top of the order – Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill,” and that if South Africa can get through them, a lot of their job is done. “Every time we’ve got them out there seems to have been a little bit of a wobble with their middle order,” Domingo said. READ: AB de Villiers: South Africa were below par against New Zealand in 2nd T20I at Centurion
