5 Scintillating Batting Debuts the Cricketing World Witnessed!

Faf du Plessis – 78 & 110* vs Australia (2012, Adelaide)

Faf du Plessis is another champion player who showed his fighting spirit in his debut Test match. Faf du Plessis played his first Test match in the 2nd of the 2012 Test Series against Australia in Australia, replacing another middle-order batter Jean-Paul Duminy, who was injured during the 1st Test.

Putting into bowl, the Proteas bowlers couldn’t keep the host in control leading to an imposing 1st innings score of 550, thanks to Michael Clarke’s double ton. David Warner and Michael Hussey also add to the total with well-played centuries.

In the reply, South Africa kept losing wickets in the regular interval. They were perilously struggling at 233/4 when Faf du Plessis walked in and soon at 250/7. The team was in a bizarre state of getting into a follow-on phase when the debutant, along with an injured Jacques Kallis, decided to change things around.

The last batting pair added 93 runs to the total, and Du Plessis’s 78 pushed them to a decent total of 388. Faf’s knock was widely applauded for his shot-making skills and temperament in a challenging situation.

Not stopping there, he played one of the best 4th innings batting ever in the second innings of the same game. With a lead of 162, Australia batted freely in the second innings and set a target of 430. Once again, the South African top-5 crumbled, and they were 134/5 leaving Du Plessis and Kallis as the only proper batters. The duo once again showed what they were capable of and battled the threatening Aussie bowlers. Kallis was dismissed after a fighting 110-ball innings, but Du Plessis ensured he stayed there to see SA off from the loss.

Playing just his debut Test match, walking into bat at the score of 45/4, Faf du Plessis batted out for seven and a half hours. He faced 376 deliveries to post 110 not out in the fourth innings to deny Australia victory.

Du Plessis went on to captain South Africa in all three formats and ended his Test career with 4163 runs, including 10 centuries.

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