Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Sunday that cricket leagues were getting stronger all over the world, and “it is a fact that players have lost interest in international cricket.”

Addressing a virtual press conference on Sunday, du Plesis said it was heartening to see the resumption of Pakistan Super League-6, after it was postponed in March earlier this year due to some participants testing positive for Covid-19. At the time, the PCB had said the decision had been taken out of consideration for the health and wellbeing of all participants in the tournament.

Addressing the press conference today, the South Africa batsman said he was happy to be playing again in the league, adding that the playing conditions were now different, hence all teams would start afresh.

The middle-order batsman, who represents Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, said his team was not at the position on the table where it should have been. “I try to share my experience with junior players in the team,” he said.

He said he was pleasantly surprised with the bowling talent in the PSL, as virtually all the teams had excellent bowlers in their line-up.

Hailing the Gladiators captain, du Plesis said Sarfaraz Ahmed always bucked up his teammates in the field.

“Every captain has his own style, and Sarfaraz’s way of thinking is different,” he remarked.

‘T20 World Cup favourites’

At the same time, Du Plesis said he believed that the West Indies and India were the favourites in the run up to the T20i World Cup, scheduled in October in the UAE this year.

He further said that an increase in the number of teams competing in the World Cup would be healthy for the sport in general, adding that it was not necessary that only ‘super-fit’ cricketers would go on to become good cricketers.