‘I received death threats’: Faf du Plessis recalls horrific scenes after South Africa’s exit from 2011 World Cup
Faf du Plessis revealed that he received death threats and was also criticised on social media after their exit from the World Cup.
Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has made a huge revelation that he and his wife received death threats after South Africa lost to New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup. It was the third quarter-final of the tournament in Dhaka in which both teams locked horns. The Daniel Vettori-led New Zealand had batted first and, with the help of Jesse Ryder’s 83-run knock, posted 221 for 8 in 50 overs. In reply, the Proteas were bundled up for 172.
During the chase of 222, Faf du Plessis walked in to bat when South Africa were reduced to 121 for 4. Soon AB de Villiers got runout at the keeper’s end and du Plessis’ 36 wasn’t enough to rescue his team from the massive collapse. South Africa succumbed to a 49-run defeat while Faf was slapped with a fine of 50% of his match fee for pushing Kyle Mills, who was New Zealand’s 12th man.
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In a recent conversation with ESPN Cricinfo, Du Plessis revealed that he received death threats and was also criticised on social media after their exit from the World Cup.
“I received death threats after that [match]. My wife received death threats. We turned on social media and we were blown away. It became very personal. There were some very offensive things said that I won’t repeat,” du Plessis said.
“It makes you introverted towards people and you put a shield up. All players go through this and it forces us to keep our circles very small. It’s why I’ve worked so hard on creating a safe space within our camp,” he added.
The former South African skipper has recently returned home after playing for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. He was brilliant with the bat as he scored 320 runs from 7 games, managing a strike rate of 136.
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Du Plessis was placed third on the list of Orange Cap holders before the tournament was indefinitely suspended due to rising cases of Covid-19 in its bio-bubble.