News24.com | Faf's still got it! Ex-Proteas skipper's class shines through in IPL: Should he make SA return?

• Faf du Plessis is in sparkling form in the 2023 IPL. 
• The former Proteas captain, now leading Royal Challengers Bangalore, has made two 50s in three innings. 
• Du Plessis is still available for international selection. 

Former Proteas captain Faf du Plessis has made the brightest of starts in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), a reminder of his class, pedigree and ability to perform at the highest level. 

Du Plessis, the current skipper of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, will turn 39 in July, but he is clearly still operating at the top of his game. 

In three innings so far in the IPL, Du Plessis has been in sublime form, carding scores of 73 (43), 23 (12) and, most recently, 79* (46). That is enough to make him the third-highest run-scorer in the competition. 

His innings in Bengaluru on Monday was exceptional. Du Plessis initially played a supporting act to the destructive Virat Kohli (61 off 44), but he was able to shift gears when the game needed him to. 

That ability to read the situation and adapt accordingly has always been a hallmark of Du Plessis' game in T20 cricket, and that is clearly still the case. 

By the time he was done, Du Plessis had hit five fours and five sixes, and RCB had compiled a hugely competitive 212/2 which most would have thought was enough. It wasn't.

Remarkably, Lucknow Super Giants got over the line, winning by one wicket, thanks to a blistering 62 (19) from Nicholas Pooran and 65 (30) from Marcus Stoinis. 

The result leaves RCB with just one win from three outings in their efforts to win a first-ever IPL title, and while making the playoffs will be Du Plessis' ultimate priority as the leader of one of world's most supported cricket franchises, he will surely be pleased with his batting form. 

Du Plessis looks fitter than ever. His running between the wickets remains exceptional and he is batting for long periods of high intensity, displaying a shot-making ability that allows him to score all around the ground. 

And when he is in this type of form, the same old question keeps popping up: Should Faf du Plessis be picked for the Proteas again? 

On the surface, it seems a no-brainer. Why wouldn't one of the best T20 batters in the world be picked for his country? Du Plessis is, after all, still available for international selection in the shortest formats of the game, as he duly reminded selectors when he scored the first century of the inaugural SA20 in January.

As things stand, however, the Proteas are only scheduled to play T20 cricket again when Australia visit for a winter white-ball tour, expected to take place in August. 

The next T20 World Cup, meanwhile, is scheduled for June 2024 and will take place in the West Indies and United States. Du Plessis would be one month away from his 40th birthday by then, but if he is still performing at this level, then why should that be an issue? 

With Aiden Markram the newly-appointed T20 captain and Rob Walter having taken over as South Africa's white-ball coach, the opportunity for a clean slate for Du Plessis does exist. 

The likeliest stumbling block to a Proteas return for Du Plessis will be his franchise T20 commitments with the Caribbean Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Big Bash and the Hundred all possible destinations. 

"We need to have some consistency in terms of how we deal with guys like Faf, who has moved into the league phases of their career," Walter said back in January. 

"It's an inevitable movement and he's not the last person who is going to move in that direction. It's also going to happen more often.

"It's a nice opportunity for us to wrap our heads around the management of that situation as it's going to become more prevalent in South Africa.

"A conversation with Faf will potentially provide a nice foundation for future conversations with other players. I'll be catching up with Faf, but does that mean he'll be playing again? I don't know the answer to that."

What are YOUR views? Should Faf du Plessis return to the Proteas set-up, or has the time come to move on? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below ...