Book review | 'Faf Through Fire': The fascinating autobiography of former South African captain

'Faf Through Fire', the autobiography of former South African cricket captain Faf Du Plessis.

If all the world is a stage, then we are all actors who allow others to see only what we want to portray. If any further proof is required, Faf Through Fire, a fascinating autobiography by former South African captain Faf du Plessis, should suffice.

Du Plessis’ public persona indicates a carefree, happy-go-lucky attitude, with the tattoos and the perfectly gelled hair as well as a premium on appearance the most obvious pointers towards that perception. But nothing could be further from the truth. By his own admission, du Plessis spends a fair amount of time in the mirror, but that can be both literal and metaphoric.

Faf Through Fire takes you through an intense account of what made one of South Africa’s most beloved cricketing sons the human being he is. It isn’t just a chronicling of his journey as a cricketer, but a brutally honest and revealing tale of his insecurities that sometimes, if only briefly, bordered on jealousy (especially when it came to his childhood buddy AB de Villiers), his hopes and aims and aspirations and burning desires, his vastly different outlooks in the first half of his life towards cricket and all other things not cricket, his endeavours to make South Africa not just a cricketing force but also an inclusive, humane, empathetic band of brothers, and the eventual tussles with Cricket South Africa that prematurely ended a fabulous international ride.

Some of the points he seeks to make are belaboured and repetitive, though one can safely assume that that is not because he is trying to convince the readers — or himself — of anything. Such is his deep-seated conviction when it comes to issues surrounding leadership, of giving all of oneself for the greater good even if it means absorbing blows aplenty and standing as the staunch, unyielding buffer between the decision-makers and his colleagues, that it stands as a common thread during different stages of the book, surfacing without warning and evoking a sense of déjà vu because you feel you have read it more than once previously. Which you have.

His early life was a mixed bag — his father was a strict disciplinarian who took ‘tough love’ to new heights while his mother was infinitely more indulgent and understanding. That they were divorced didn’t help a young kid growing up, but the early lessons he imbibed through his various life experiences have clearly gone a long way towards shaping the du Plessis character which didn’t start to blossom until he came to the realisation that sincerity, integrity, commitment and passion ought not to be reserved only for cricket but must be extrapolated to all other aspects of everyday existence.

Du Plessis takes us through the string of people who helped him grow and develop into an outstanding leader of men as well as an exceptional human being always willing to walk the extra yard without being asked or expected to. Top of that list is his wife Imari, who he didn’t always cherish in the early stages of their relationship but who has been the rock that has allowed him to develop into the fantastic giver he is now. Others who find prominent mention are Paddy Upton, the former mental conditioning coach of the Indian team, Gary Kirsten, the man who masterminded India’s climb to the No. 1 Test ranking as well as the 2011 World Cup title, Doc Moosajee, the long-standing manager of the South African cricket team, de Villiers himself, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Owen Eastwood, the New Zealand-born performance coach who had a huge influence.

He doesn’t skirt around unpleasant episodes either. Early in the book, he talks of his excitement at the prospect of sharing the Eastern Titans dressing room — this is of course long before he came into international reckoning — with South African batsman Daryll Cullinan, and of how his hero crumbled before his eyes at their first meeting.

“I took my kit and went to sit next to him,” he writes. “He turned to me: ‘What the f**k are you doing next to me? Why the f**k are you sitting next to me? Youngster, take your bag and f**k off! Jacques Rudolph is a Test player, but not even he is sitting next to me. He’s sitting on a chair, but you’re sitting on a f**king bench.’ I hung my head in shame. In a matter of moments, my childhood idol went from hero to zero in my eyes. On that day, I undertook never to speak or behave to anyone the way he had just done towards me, and I kept that promise when I became Proteas captain.”

Out of that calamitous first meeting grew the philosophy that du Plessis has followed to this day. His teammates at Royal Challengers Bangalore, who he has captained for the last two seasons, swear by him and by his care, love and attention to detail, traits du Plessis has developed effortlessly, unlike the cricketing and mental skills that he invested plenty of time and energy in.

Du Plessis’ moral compass was questioned more than once during his international career. Coincidentally, twice he was involved in instances of ‘ball-tampering’, the first when he rubbed the ball against his trouser zipper in the UAE, after which zippers were outlawed, and the second time when he was accused of applying sugary syrup from his mouth to the cricket ball in Australia in the pre-pandemic era when saliva was the preferred mode of polishing the ball. After this incident which attracted a fine of 100% of his match fees and three demerit points, the International Cricket Council came up with an unambiguous list of what could be applied on the ball and what couldn’t. Typically, du Plessis doesn’t try to justify his actions or make excuses, though in an oblique attempt at humour when he says, “Two law amendments are an odd distinction to achieve in one’s career, but at least mine were colourful and influential.”

Among other things, du Plessis talks at length about his relationship with de Villiers which suffered a setback before the 2019 World Cup when skipper du Plessis chose to overlook the obvious match-winner’s desire to return to the South African side just before the team was to be announced in order to maintain team culture and not repeat mistakes of the past (which he has outlined), and how he worked overtime to get it back on track. He also throws light on the erasure of the team culture he was instrumental in building once Mark Boucher took over as team coach when Graeme Smith was the CSA’s director of cricket, and how that eventually influenced the end of his ride in international cricket.

Faf Through Fire is a brilliant read, not a salacious tell-all but a measured, authentic portrayal of du Plessis. It’s not unputdownable simply because its gravitas often leaves you drained, but this is a must read. Yes, definitely a must read.