W(here's)T(he)F(af)?! Du Plessis ban adds to pressure on SA

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Johannesburg

As if England’s freshly sparked momentum wasn’t a big enough worry for SA going into their crunch World T20 match in Chittagong today, the Proteas will also have to do without Faf du Plessis.

SA’s captain has been banned for the match because his team maintained a slow over-rate against the Netherlands on Thursday. The sanction kicked in as it was SA’s second infringement in the format in 12 months following the fine they picked up for also not getting through their overs in good time against New Zealand.

The simplest way to stay clear of the tangled web of permutations that could decide the line-up for next week’s semi-finals is to keep winning. But Du Plessis’ banning has made the order SA face today significantly taller.

He has not been a major contributor with the bat so far in the tournament with scores of 13 and 24 against the Kiwis and the Dutch respectively.

But the fact is that SA lost their first game, against Sri Lanka, when Du Plessis sat out due to a hamstring problem. With him back in harness, they have beaten New Zealand and the Netherlands.

Besides his calm leadership, which has extricated SA from difficult positions in both of their last two games, Du Plessis’ predatory fielding has been an important factor.

There is no under-estimating his loss ahead of a game against an England side who, on Thursday, rose from the canvas they were on at 0/2 to chase down a target of 190 and beat Sri Lanka by six wickets with four balls to spare. If SA look to replace Du Plessis with a batsman, Farhaan Behardien is the only option.

But they could also try and beef up their attack what with the England batsmen sure to be on a high in the afterglow of their rousing victory. “We’ve always had confidence in the last few months but without much success,” Alex Hales, whose undefeated 116 - the first century by an England player in this format - said.

“Getting this win was really good and hopefully we can take that into the next couple of games. “We’ve admitted that we are underdogs in this tournament, and historically we haven’t done too well in the subcontinent.

“But this will help us build momentum. If we perform to the best of our ability against Holland and SA we’ll get two wins.”

Today’s game is SA’s last group encounter, and if they win they should book their place in the semis. But if they lose, who goes where will become clear only after Monday’s games - England play the Netherlands and New Zealand take on Sri Lanka.

“We know we’ve got to beat England to try and progress,” Russell Domingo said. “It might still come down to run-rate. There’s still a lot to play for.”

Not quite, coach. In the hearts and minds of trophy-starved South Africans, there is everything to play for.