Faf du Plessis likely to miss first Test against England

South African Test skipper Faf du Plessis is likely to miss the first Test against England during the upcoming 4-match Test series. The first Test between the two big nations will kick off on July 6 at the iconic venue of Lord’s. Reportedly, Faf is expecting the delivery of his first child and hence would want to be with his wife during the delivery. The jump to the isle of fatherhood might see Faf du Plessis miss the Test series opener.

As per the recent quotes in ESPNcricinfo, Faf noted that he is in a ‘race against time’ to play the first Test. He is already set to miss the T20I series that will take place from June 21. It is the anticipation of his first child that will keep Du Plessis out of action from the T20 series. He noted that if it takes more time than he is willing to miss the match. His wife is keen on going for the normal route and hence will not push down for an early delivery.

“I’m pretty nervous, to be honest. It’s now just a countdown for when the baby comes. My wife is pretty certain that she wants to go the normal route so that takes longer. It now becomes a race for the first Test match,” quoted Faf du Plessis.

JP Duminy might lead the team

Interestingly, the venue at Lord’s is a venue that is considered as the mecca of cricket. He is yet to play at the venue in a Test game. If he misses this Test, it would be unlikely to see him get another chance since the two nations meet in England for Test series only once in every five years.

Currently, Du Plessis is already 32 years of age. Talking about the captaincy, in the absence of Faf, the team might hand over the captaincy to JP Duminy or opener Dean Elgar. AB de Villiers has also opted out of the Test series.