Faf du Plessis: Experienced Northern Superchargers side let down by inconsistency

KATYA WITNEY: While both his and his side's performances haven't been up to scratch, the Northern Superchargers skipper has enjoyed his first taste of the "fast" format and the challenges of leading a franchise

After leaving the tournament early without playing a game last year, Faf du Plessis arrived at Headingley in July looking for a taste of the action he had previously watched his teammates enjoy from the sidelines. Doing the rounds of the franchise circuits, The Hundred offered something new for someone who has pretty much been, seen and done all there is to do in the game.

When he stepped out to lead the side for the first time against regional rivals Manchester Originals it seemed to live up to his expectations.

"Initially I was like, 'Wow, this tournament is ridiculously fast', much faster than any other cricket I've played," he said ahead of the Northern Superchargers' final game at Headingley. "I've really enjoyed it and the crowds have been amazing throughout, it'll be good to be playing in front of them again on Wednesday."

Superchargers are now out of contention for the eliminator having lost four out of their seven games so far. The quickness of the format that du Plessis enjoys has certainly tested the Superchargers' captain at times during the tournament.

His bowlers were victim to an all-out assault by Adam Rossington, who smashed the fastest fifty of the competition up in Yorkshire a couple of weeks ago, and during their last outing on home turf, they were subjected to a blistering attack from the Manchester Originals batters which saw them concede the highest score ever in the tournament.

^{Du Plessis in action with the bat [Harry Trump/Getty Images]}

An error from du Plessis himself probably cost them a game they should have won against Oval Invincibles. He dropped a simple chance off Tom Curran, who had forced his side back into the game, off the 97th ball of the innings to hand the South London-based team victory.

Those momentary lapses from arguably the most experienced team in the tournament - they have the oldest squad, have rendered some of the excellent cricket they've played second-best and separated them from the top sides.

"It's frustrating," said du Plessis. "In terms of getting it right I thought we weren't very far off but the small things, I remember two crucial dropped chances which basically cost us two games. But I've thought that we've played really good cricket for most of the competition.

"You're hoping that guys hit a bit of form. I think it's really crucial in these short tournaments how many of your guys can just hit a purple patch and just run with it. So we've had two or three guys that have done that really well. We've also had a few guys that have been struggling and fighting with it and that I suppose is the inconsistency in our performances."

Those inconsistencies the Northern Superchargers have been fighting throughout the tournament are encapsulated in du Plessis' own form. A top score of 56 in a losing cause against the Spirit was by his own post-match admission "needed" after a series of low scores to start the competition. That proved to be his highest score to date with a couple of single-digit scores following and then a 32 against Welsh Fire his next best return.

Du Plessis has found support from Northern Superchargers' core group of senior players: "Everyone has their input that they put into the team and I find that extremely important for me to lean on other people.

"I rely quite a bit on David Willey with his international experience and also captaincy experience. Rash (Adil Rashid) has also got a nice voice in the team and Dwayne Bravo is probably the most experienced T20 player in the world so that voice has been really important for me to rely on… but the margins for error are very small."

^{He has relied on the likes of David Willey to support him as captain [Ashley Allen/Getty Images]}

However, flying in to lead a team for such a short period brings challenges. Whereas international and domestic captains have time to build relationships with their players which in many cases start at the lower levels of cricket, being an international franchise captain, especially from overseas is a different prospect.

Du Plessis is part of an elite group of cricketers on the international franchise circuit whose appeal is not only based on their prowess with the bat or ball but leadership qualities and unrivalled experience. Those in the same bracket include Kane Williamson, Eoin Morgan and to a similar extent the West Indian trio of Bravo, Andre Russell and Kieron Pollard.

With captaining the RCB franchise in the IPL this year and fulfilling his role at Headingley, du Plessis is carving out a role for himself as almost a professional franchise captain, marketing himself where his skills with the bat are equally as important as his leadership ability.

"Yes, it's a short period of time you have with the side," said du Plessis of his franchise captaincy roles. "You're not going to create lifelong relationships with players straight away, those things take time. It's just about everyone really feeling a part of something and creating an environment where it's fun and guys can be themselves. I think that's the best you can do in the time you have."

"I think whether you're an overseas leader or local it's still really important for me to pull in the local guys who are all leaders within their own space and rely on them for support. If you have a mindset of it's us rather than a captain thing, then I don't really think it matters who leads, it's just about trying to find the experience and the brains trust in the room, using that collectively as a unit."

In The Hundred, where the new city-based sides have brought together large regional areas under umbrella emblems and seen people who live next to Chester-le-Street expected to identify with a Yorkshire-based squad, being the talisman for the side as an overseas player takes on a different role. It is in some ways easier given the teams may not have such a regional pull and fans don't necessarily identify with players in their side because of their regional identity.

"I remember last year I think it was Dane Vilas who came across to play for this team and he's like the captain of Lancashire so you would think that people over here would not be fans of him," said du Plessis. "But it was almost like when he was here straight away he was part of this team now so it shows you how quickly they can accept you as well which is nice.

^{Du Plessis reacts to a missed chance [Ashley Allen/Getty Images]}

"I think maybe in a tournament like this what you try to create is for fans to start getting a bit of a connection with their team because it is not necessarily their team. It's a new team formed within a city so for the future of the competition it's really important for fans to start knowing certain players. It's important to get those retention rules in place so that over the years people can know players such as myself who are mainly established with a franchise and can create a bit of a relationship with the team.

"It is weird, even like Jonny Bairstow playing for the Welsh Fire I mean it just doesn't quite make sense in terms of trying to make sure that you have people to really look up to. Whether it's Jonny or Joe Root, obviously from this franchise it would be nice if they could be around this dressing room and then obviously visa-versa for all the other teams."

The spread of star English players over the different regional hubs is a headache for the tournament given the concentration of many of those names in a small number of areas. It is also worth noting that neither Bairstow nor Root played a particularly big role in this year's competition, the former being rested from it altogether.

After finishing up for the Northern Superchargers on Wednesday, du Plessis head to the CPL, the next stop on the franchise merry-go-round. Where to after that is less certain as just hours before this interview took place he was passed over in the BBL draft alongside other senior players like Russell and Pollard.

While the experience of players with the same pedigree as du Plessis alongside their prowess with the bat and ball are what makes them stand out from the rest, the BBL draft shows that consistency is still key and younger players who can shine on the field with consistent performances in some ways trump the experience of others. Form is temporary and class is permanent, but potentially in franchise cricket, form is the more important factor.

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