Faf du Plessis feels that he retired at the right time as there are two T20 World Cups on the horizon, and he wants to maximise himself to play as much T20 cricket around the world.
Du Plessis hang up his boots from Test cricket in February after the two-match Test series that South Africa played in Pakistan. He decided to focus on the shorter formats and prioritising T20 cricket, in particular.
Since then, the veteran South African batsman has featured in the Pakistan Super League and the Indian Premier League. However, both those tournaments were suspended midway through due to the rising COVID-19 cases.
Du Plessis is back with his PSL side, Quetta Gladiators, as the PSL is all set to resume for its second half in the UAE. In a virtual PSL conference, he admitted that he felt it was the apt time to bid farewell to Test cricket and take a break from the 50-over format as well. With two T20 World Cups in as many years, he wants to maximise himself playing as much T20 cricket as possible around the world.
“I felt it was the right time for me to retire from Test cricket and take a break from one-day cricket. There’s two T20 World Cups in a row… so in maximising myself and making myself available for as much around the world and play T20 cricket,“
he was quoted saying during a virtual PSL conference.
Moreover, du Plessis also said that he currently feels he is the fittest he has ever been in his career, and he wants to go on. Moreover, he also expressed his desire to play for South Africa and perform when the opportunity arises.
“I have a three-year goal that I still want to play. I almost feel like I’m the fittest I’ve ever been before so I’m just driven to keep going. I want to perform for T20 teams that I play for but also when there’s an opportunity to play for South Africa to do the same,”
du Plessis further added.
Du Plessis’ form has been excellent in the recent past. He smashed 320 runs averaging 64.00 and striking at 145.45 for Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2021.