Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis has described Australian cricketer, David Warner, as a ‘bully’. The right-handed batter reminded how the Aussies tried to bully his side in the whole first Test of the 2018 series and hailed the Proteas for giving an apt response with a series victory.
Warner was the genius behind the ball-tampering saga in that infamous 4-match Test series held in South Africa. The dynamic left-handed batter angry his opening partner Cameron Bancroft to use sandpaper to tamper with the red cherry to gain a reverse swing. Accordingly, Warner and then-skipper Steve Smith copped a year-long ban, while Cameron Bancroft experienced a 9-month ban.
JUST IN: David Warner has accepted his CA-imposed sanction: https://t.co/mgbQ3k7ssz pic.twitter.com/6wvh5Pmn1N
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) April 5, 2018
Speaking about Warner, Du Plessis told the BBC:
“He was a bully. I don’t have time for bullies.”
He said:
“Australia wanted to bully us. We had to stand up for ourselves. They abused us that whole game but the way we fought back turned the series around.”
Warner also advantaged in an ugly fight with the Proteas’ keeper-batter Quinton de Kock after Australia’s 118-run win in the first Test of that series in Durban. The ICC concluded that Warner had breached Level 1 of the ICC’s Code of Conduct and was thus fined 75 percent of his game fee. In contrast, De Kock was fined 50 percent of his match fee.
The hosts linked the 4-match series by 3-1 despite losing the first Test.
“The New Zealand performers were all over me” – Faf du Plessis on South Africa’s loss in the 2011 World Cup semi-final
Du Plessis remembered South Africa’s shocking 49-run loss to New Zealand in the semi-finals of the 2011 World Cup, asserting that he was under siege from the opposition.
He revealed:
“When that happens, your whole world stops. You’re hit with this wave of pressure. It’s like, ‘Oh no, what’s happening? What will the fans think? What will the media say?’ You start worrying about the past and the future and forget the present.
“The New Zealand players were all over me. They started calling me a choker. I held a lot of resentment towards them for a long time.”
Just checked into the @TheCapital_SA before my book launch tonight @SandtonCity at 18:00. See you guys there #ThroughFire pic.twitter.com/F2lyLGhZqP
— Faf Du Plessis (@faf1307) November 4, 2022
South Africa was one of the chief competitors to lift the award in 2011, having topped the group stage with 5 victories in 6 games. They also preferred to defeat the Black Caps and were cruising in the chase. Although, a mix-up between Du Plessis and the well-set Ab de Villiers saw the latter get run out, which entirely derailed the chase. The Proteas eventually lost by 49 runs.
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