"Will Never Touch Cricket Ball": Former SA Captain On Aftermath Of Ball-Tampering Allegations
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis had faced allegations of ball-tampering in 2013 during a Test against Pakistan in Dubai and he was sanctioned for using the zippers on his trousers to change the condition of the ball.
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis had faced allegations of ball-tampering in 2013 during a Test against Pakistan in Dubai and he was sanctioned for using the zippers on his trousers to change the condition of the ball. Now, the right-handed batter has revealed how he swore off touching the ball for some years after in the aftermath of that incident. He also revealed how he became self-conscious whenever the ball was thrown to him on the field.
"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.
Faf du Plessis has also backed David Warner to lead Australia. It is important to mention that it was under the leadership of Faf when the infamous Sandpaper Gate happened during the Cape Town Test in 2018. The incident saw Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft being reprimanded for their involvement in the ball-tampering saga.
In the aftermath of that scandal, Cricket Australia served one-year bans for both Smith and Warner and also said that Warner would never be able to lead Australia.
"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," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Faf du Plessis as saying.
"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.
South Africa Cricket Team
Faf du Plessis
David Warner