Faf du Plessis displayed his delight that the Proteas could end their disappointing World Cup campaign on a positive note.

The Proteas beat Australia by 10 runs at Old Trafford in a match that saw them in control for large portions of the match.

Du Plessis was the star performer for his side with a Man of the Match ton.

The Proteas skipper always seems to bat at his best against the Aussies, a team he has scored over 1000 runs against.

“Always a pleasure playing against Australia and a nice, close game,’ said Du Plessis. I do like playing against Australia, I have tried to figure out why I bat nicely when I play them as compared to the other teams.”

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Du Plessis was happy that he could help the Proteas end their tournament on a proud note. He also praised Van der Dussen’s performance.

His 95 helped the Proteas set up a strong base and post 325-6 in their 50 overs.

“We at least wanted to end with a small smile. Rassie’s innings was a great example for young batters. He was on 5 off 30 balls or something but hung in there. To hang in a period shows maturity.”

The match was also a chance for Proteas fans to say bye to JP Duminy and Imran Tahir, who played their final ODI.

“They’re champion human beings. Immy [Imran Tahir] is like the heartbeat of the team and JP [Duminy] is the father figure of the team and we will miss them. But extremely happy that we can send greats like that [off] with wins,” said Du Plessis.

Next, the Proteas skipper gave his predictions for the rest of the tournament.

“I think India would be very happy we won today, looking at New Zealand’s form the last three games – dipping a little bit,” he added.

“I’ll probably say India versus England final. I think India and Australia are teams who play big games very well, I’ll back one of them in the biggest stage of them all.”