Last season was one of the toughest for me, says Faf du Plessis
F
ormer South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis on Monday said that the last cricketing season was one of the toughest periods for him in his international career.
Du Plessis had stood down as the skipper of South Africa in February this year and after that, Quinton de Kock was selected as the ODI skipper.
De Kock also did the leadership duties during the three-match T20I series against England.
"The season gone by is probably one of the toughest of my career because it had a lot of elements to it that wasn't just cricket. The team didn't do well again and then the pressure really started pointing towards me and a lot of energy was pushed towards me," ESPNCricinfo quoted du Plessis as saying.
"I just felt at the time that I had been fighting the good fight for the Proteas and I gave it absolutely my everything. On reflection after the Test series, I went away and that was when I thought it was the right time to step down," he added.
During the four-match Test series against England, du Plessis averaged just 18.87 in the eight innings.
South Africa also failed to progress to the semi-finals of the 2019 Cricket World Cup under the leadership of du Plessis.
"I felt that with a new coaching staff they could start with someone new, but also that I have a lot of value to add to that. I thought the time is right now to fast track that process of blooding a new captain, which is why I took the decision to step away," du Plessis said.
Du Plessis won 18 of his 36 Tests as captain since taking over the role from AB de Villiers in 2016. The 35-year-old believes that the side has 5-6 players who can lead the team for the coming years.
✔️ Last season was one of the toughest for me, says Faf du Plessis
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