Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has made a shocking revelation about himself. The 36-year-old recently revealed that he and his wife received death threats after his team’s exit from the 2011 World Cup.
The Proteas had lost the third quarter-final to New Zealand by just 49 runs at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka and bowed out of the showpiece event.
Batting first in the knockout game, the Black Caps managed to put 221 run on board with the help of Jesse Ryder’s 121-ball 83.
In reply, Graeme Smith-led side was bowled out for just 172 runs as Jacob Oram starred with the ball by picking up a four-wicket haul.
Though Faf du Plessis played an impressive innings of 36 runs off 43 balls, his efforts went in vain as the Kiwis won the game without much fuss.
Recalling the match against New Zealand, Du Plessis said, “”I received death threats after that [match]. My wife received death threats. We turned on social media and we were blown away. It became very personal. There were some very offensive things said that I won’t repeat.”
“It makes you introverted towards people and you put a shield up. All players go through this and it forces us to keep our circles very small. It’s why I’ve worked so hard on creating a safe space within our camp,” the veteran batsman told ESPNcricinfo.