Former South African captain, Faf du Plessis, in an interview to ESPN Cricinfo, said, “I’m on a different journey now,” after he missed out on representing South Africa in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup. 

When Du Plessis last represented South Africa in the T20s against England, he planned on playing the T20 World Cup. The challenge for Cricket South Africa and Du Plessis was to “find a middle ground” so that he could continue playing in overseas leagues.

CSA wanted more availability from Du Plessis. Terming availability for all games as an “unrealistic expectation,” Du Plessis said they were unable to find a balance that would allow him to play for South Africa and T20 leagues. 

Despite the proliferation of T20 leagues, Du Plessis hoped younger players would continue to pursue Test cricket, which he said was still the “pinnacle” of the game.