Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said in an interview that he along with his wife received death threats after the 2011 World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand where he ran out Ab de Villers and later South Africa were out of the tournament.
South Africa lost the match against New Zeland by 49 runs while chasing a low total of 222 runs.
du Plessis was playing only his 10th international game and when he came to bat South Africa were 121/4. AB de Villiers was on 35 at the other end, keeping the Proteas’ hopes alive. Howeverm the pair went for a tight single and de Villers got run out and then South Africa collapsed.
“I received death threats after that. My wife received death threats. We turned on social media and we were blown away. It became very personal,” du Plessis was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
“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,” he said.
Faf du Plessis has since played 143 ODIs, 69 Tests, and 50 T20Is. He was captain of South Africa between 2016 and 2021.
