Publications
Partners
Cape Town - Faf du Plessis has finally spoken on his permanent appointment as Proteas Test skipper after AB de Villiers relinquished the role on Monday.
De Villiers took over the captaincy earlier this year following the resignation of Hashim Amla and led the team in two Test matches against England before suffering a elbow injury which has ruled him out of cricket since July.
Du Plessis, who already captain's the Proteas in Twenty20 cricket, impressed as he guided them to a 1-0 Test series win over New Zealand, a 5-0 ODI thrashing of the Aussies at home and then a 2-1 Test series win Down Under.
"I'm really chuffed and honoured to do it now on an official bases," said Du Plessis at Newlands on Wednesday, when asked about getting the Test captaincy.
"I've spoken to AB and he has been amazing, he has always been a guy that puts the team first, as you have seen him making this decision.
"So to be part of something like that says a lot about our culture, but shows a lot of AB as a person and how important he values the team above himself," said Faf.
"It's really important going forward that I have the support of AB and that's something he said to me that will always be there no matter what. He'll always back me, so it was great to hear that from him."
Du Plessis spoke about the various captaincy approaches between the two Titans team-mates, saying: "AB leads from performance, he always steps onto the field where you want to be better as a player... So it's easy for a team to follow that.
"My style is a little different than that and I have to rely on other qualities. My biggest strength is to challenge the players," added Faf.
The first Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka gets underway in Port Elizabeth on Boxing Day.
Watch Du Plessis' interview below:
