"...we were blown away" - Faf du Plessis talks about the time he & his wife received death threats

South African batsman Faf du Plessis has revealed that he and his wife received death threats after the Proteas lost their 2011 World Cup quarterfinal encounter to New Zealand by 49 runs.

Chasing a modest total of 222 runs to progress into the last four, South Africa were bowled out for 172. Faf du Plessis put up a fight, scoring 36 off 43 balls, but his effort was in vain as New Zealand triumphed at the Sher-e-Bangla-Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Recalling the episode in a recent chat with ESPNcricinfo’s Cricket Monthly, Faf du Plessis said:

"I received death threats after that [match]. My wife received death threats. We turned on social media and we were blown away. It became very personal. There were some very offensive things said that I won’t repeat.”

He added that the development made him an introvert, and forced him to limit his circle of friends.

"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,” the 36-year-old said.

Brendon McCullum on Faf du Plessis' allergy to clothing 😅https://t.co/ULROYvVHHt pic.twitter.com/YbtxIWrMdt

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) May 17, 2021

Faf du Plessis announced his retirement from Test cricket earlier this year. The batsman, though, is keen to continue playing white-ball cricket for the Proteas.

Faf du Plessis' impressive form in IPL 2021

Flyyyy Du plessis! 🤩#CSKvSRH #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/qtGmm2POMf

— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) April 28, 2021

Faf du Plessis is one of the reasons why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) enjoyed a resurgence in IPL 2021 following their dismal campaign last year.

He managed to give CSK blistering starts at the top of the order, scoring 320 runs in seven games at an average of 64 and a strike rate of 145.45.

Du Plessis' impressive form bodes well for South Africa, with the T20 World Cup set to take place later this year in India.

AB de Villiers has also made public his desire to come out of retirement to be part of the squad for the T20 World Cup, which would undoubtedly boost South Africa's chances going into the mega event.