Faf du Plessis did not seem grumpy at missing out on any CSA awards, but deep down, he must have felt just a little bit bitter ...
Despite all of this reasoning, I still feel for Proteas Test and T20 captain Faf du Plessis, who should have been on the podium more than just once when asked to hand out the “International Newcomer of the Year” award to left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj.
In my mind, and listening to many whispers around Kyalami’s Theatre on the Track auditorium, others too felt that Du Plessis deserved greater recognition.
In many ways, Du Plessis has been the fulcrum for the dramatic turnaround in fortunes of the Proteas over the past 12 months. I remember last year’s awards function being a particularly drab affair due to the Proteas not actually having much to celebrate.
The success could not only be measured in pure numbers, but also the quality of cricket that the Proteas produced and the supreme team spirit and camaraderie showed in often trying circumstances.
The conspiracy theorist within me ventured into murky waters with perhaps the drama surrounding the “Mintgate” issue – when the ICC fined Du Plessis his entire match fee for applying saliva to the ball when eating a mint – being the reason for not celebrating the skipper’s achievements more.
Taking nothing away from De Kock’s achievements, but Du Plessis is my “SA Cricketer of the Year”.