Faf du Plessis was so nervous before his first test innings for South Africa that he slipped out of one of his boots walking toward the field and was afraid he might get timed out before he’d had a chance to bat.
The drama before his creditable 78 on the weekend was nothing compared with his unbeaten 110 in his second dig on Monday, when he batted all through the last day to save the second test against Australia.
In the process, he became the first South African to score a century and a half-century on test debut. But more significant was the time he spent at the crease denying the Australian bowlers for more than seven hours and helping South Africa draw a match that even many of their own supporters had written off as loss.
The 28-year-old du Plessis was cramping near the end, with fielders crowded around the bat and with No. 10 batsman Morne Morkel trying to hold up an end in the dying overs. The ninth-wicket pair held on for long enough to ensure the draw in the last over after five days - when the Australians only needed two wickets to win.
“I think it just makes it a little bit more sweeter,” du Plessis said. “The story wouldn’t have been that nice if my body was all feeling fine.”
“It just shows how far you can go if you’re mentally strong enough.”
