One of the batting mainstays of the South African middle order, Faf du Plessis has proved an able successor to the legendary Jacques Kallis, albeit only with the bat. However, unlike his school friend AB de Villiers, Faf didn't exactly take the swift route to the national side and came into the team only when his Kolpak deal with Lancashire had expired. The former's stonewalling 110* to save the Adelaide Test catapulted him to instant stardom and established him as one of the key members of the Protea side. Later appointed full-time captain of the team, Du Plessis has emerged as a natural leader, especially in Tests. But given the long list of disappointments faced by South Africa at World Cups, Faf's credentials would be carved in stone if he can lead his team to glory in the marquee event.
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Du Plessis' 67 off 42 balls enabled CSK to chase down a tricky target of 140 in 19.1 overs after being down at 92 for 7.
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The South African skipper has been kept aside and may feature in the clash against Kings XI Punjab, but Chennai suffered a major blow as Kedar Jadhav has been ruled out for the rest of the IPL.
South Africa ground their way toward a series win with an unbeaten 40-run partnership between Dean Elgar (39 not out) and skipper Faf du Plessis (34 not out).
Fast bowler Morne Morkel picked up 5/23 in Australia's second innings to give them their second-heaviest defeat to South Africa in terms of runs and its heaviest since 1970.
Australia cricketers confessed to ball tampering in a desperate plot hatched by Steve Smith and Co. as they saw the third Test against South Africa slipping away.
Smith said in the lead-up to the third Test in Cape Town that Rabada's successful appeal against a two-Test ban was "interesting". He questioned why he was not invited to give his side of the story at the judicial hearing.
South Africa clinched its win in Port Elizabeth by chasing down the meagre target of 101 before tea on the fourth day.
An Australia victory in the second Test would ensure the tourists cannot lose the four-match series and would mean another failure for South Africa, who haven't beaten Australia in a series at home since 1970.
Josh Hazlewood trapped Quinton de Kock lbw for 83 as Australia bowled South Africa out for 298 in its second innings to register a commanding 118-run win to take 1-0 lead in the four-Test series.
South Africa expects captain Faf du Plessis, batsman AB de Villiers and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock to all return from injuries for the first Test in Durban.
Yuzvender Chahal's spells helped India restrict South Africa for a meagre score of 118 runs as Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan chased down the target with ease to win by 9 wickets.
In a surprising move, the 23-year-old batsman was named the captain for the remaining five ODIs against India owing to Faf du Plessis withdrawal due to a finger injury.
The 23-year old Markram has led South Africa to Under-19 World Cup triumph in 2014 and has been widely regarded as a future captain.
All-rounder Farhaan Behardien will replace the South African skipper in the squad, though the CSA is yet to announce the captain for the remaining series against India.
If not for skipper Faf du Plessis' ninth ODI hundred, South Africa could have folded for a lesser total yesterday.
Du Plessis feels the hosts were 60 runs short after electing to bat first on a Durban surface that progressively quickened up.
Du Plessis said that the conditions were a bit slower and suited the Men in Blue quite well as the batting line-up hammered away after the Proteas set up an easy target of 270 for the Virat Kohli led Team India.
Kohli said that the six-wicket victory in the first one-dayer against South Africa will give his side the momentum in the remainder of the six-match series.
India beat South Africa by six wickets in the first ODI to go up 1-0 in the six-match series at Kingsmead in Durban.
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