‘I went through a very tough time’- Faf du Plessis opens up on ball-tampering accusations

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis was charged with ball tampering during a Test against Pakistan in Dubai in 2013. He was fined for using the zippers on his trousers to change the condition of the ball. Now, the right-handed batter has revealed how, in the aftermath of that incident, he swore off touching the ball for several years. He also revealed that whenever the ball was thrown to him on the field, he felt self-conscious.

“I went through a very tough time around what happened in Dubai against Pakistan to the point where I also had to say, ‘Listen, I will never touch a cricket ball again because it’s not something I want to go through again’. So, there was a period where the ball came to me and I was like ‘no’ and I’d just get rid of it because you’re so aware of that. If you make a mistake, I don’t judge anyone who goes through that,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Faf du Plessis as saying.

Davey has certainly done his time: Faf du Plessis on David Warner

Faf du Plessis has also supported David Warner as Australia’s next captain. It is worth noting that the infamous Sandpaper Gate occurred during the Cape Town Test in 2018 while Faf was in charge. Warner, Steve Smith, and Cameron Bancroft were all chastised for their roles in the ball-tampering scandal. Following the scandal, Cricket Australia banned both Smith and Warner for one year and stated that Warner would never be able to lead Australia again.

“I never throw stones – I point the finger back at myself probably harder than I do at anyone else, and I’m no glass house. So I think Davey has certainly done his time, he’s served a very, very hard penalty that a lot of guys, myself included, doing things wrong as well, didn’t get even close to the penalty that Smith, Bancroft and Warner got,” Du Plessis said.

“In terms of would he be able to be let back into, do it? Yes. I’ve certainly seen him in the IPL being captain of one of the franchises there and having a successful campaign,” he further stated.