Johannesburg: Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said that he and his wife received death threats after the 2011 World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand. South Africa lost the match by 49 runs in Dhaka, despite having to chase a target of 222.Playing only his 10th ODI, du Plessis came in when South Africa were 121/4. AB de Villiers was on 35 at the other end, keeping the Proteas’ hopes alive. However, the pair went for a tight single after du Plessis fended off the second ball he faced and de Villiers was run out.
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.
The right-handed batsman has since played 143 ODIs, 69 Tests and 50 T20Is. He was captain of South Africa between 2016 and 2021.