Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis. Sportzpics
THIS evening, Joburg Super Kings captain Faf du Plessis will lead his troops onto the field at the Bullring in their last round-robin fixture hunting for a victory that would see them through to the playoffs of the ongoing third edition of the SA20.
Should Du Plessis successfully lead his side tonight, he would have taken them to their third successive playoffs. The 40-year-old has led from the front with his performances but has also not lost his touch as one of the most inspiring leaders in the history of South African cricket.
Because of his unmatched leadership qualities, the Super Kings have a clear chance to go through to the playoffs despite having suffered five injury blows, which would have led to many teams' demise.
His inspiring leadership has seen younger players such as Lutho Sipamla and Donovan Ferreira thrive in this competition.
"Faf plays a big role... when he's your captain and he gives you the ball he's very clear with his instructions. He gives you a lot of confidence as a player," said Ferreira.
"For me, he's done that so I can only imagine for a player Lutho coming into the SA20 not getting picked up can actually be daunting but he's stepped up and he's showing everyone why he's meant to be here.
"He's come in and taken his opportunities. Faf plays a big role in this with the younger guys coming through because he gives a lot of confidence with all his backing."
Despite Du Plessis' excellent leadership, the Super Kings have felt the injury blows to Gerald Coetzee, David Wiese, Lizaad Williams, Nandre Burger and Beuran Hendricks this season.
The side has struggled to put on consistent performances throughout the season and Ferreira explained that they are yet to be able to explain the reasons behind their inconsistency.
"If I was able to explain it, I think we would've solved all of the problems. That's just sport. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I don't think we can actually put our finger on it, " said Ferreira.
"We've been trying to be as consistent as possible. No excuses, we haven't been good enough but we've been putting a lot of emphasis on making this our fortress and we've actually played very good cricket over here at the Wanderers.
"So, there's no real reason but for us, it's just about focusing on the last group stage game and then the qualifier. Anything can happen in the playoffs, we play three good games and we win the tournament.
"So, let's hope that the rollercoaster has evened out now. It's not nice as a team but it hasn't gotten us down and we want to get better each game. Let's see what happens in the next game, hopefully, we get a win and that actually spirals us into a nice flow going into the playoffs."
The Super Kings will lock horns against Keshav Maharaj's Super Giants at the Wanderers from 5.30 pm.