Faf du Plessis named South Africa’s full-time T20 captain

Zeenews Sports Bureau

Johannesburg: Middle-order batsman Faf du Plessis has been appointed as the full-time captain of South Africa’s T20 International team after AB de Villiers requested to stand down from his position. The announcement came when South Africa’s ODI and T20 International teams to face Pakistan were announced on Wednesday. After du Plessis’ appointment South Africa now have three different captains for all three formats with Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers leading the Test and ODI teams, respectively. "Handing Faf the T20 captaincy is an exciting option for us to explore our leadership resources," South Africa coach Gary Kirsten was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. "He showed a lot of potential during the series against New Zealand in both the T20 and ODI formats, and this will be another great opportunity for him to work on his role as a leader,” he added. "Having three captains also allows us to spread the resources among our three formats, with Graeme (Smith) and AB also providing the ideal support in the Test and ODI formats. This is an important year for our limited-overs squads and this new direction is an exciting step forward,” former South African opener said. Veteran allrounder Jacques Kallis has been rested from both the ODI and T20I teams while Hashim Amla was not named in the T20I squad as he wanted a break from the T20I squad to concentrate more on other two formats. Dale Steyn was also rested for T20Is. ODI squad: AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Faf du Plessis, Colin Ingram, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe. Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, David Miller, Chris Morris, Justin Ontong, Robbie Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Lonwabo Tsotsobe