Long before Faf du Plessis carved out a reputation as South Africa’s batting marathon man, he was a 23-year-old who signed with county side Lancashire.

It was 2008 and Australia’s Stuart Law, coming to the end of a productive career that netted over 27,000 first-class runs, was du Plessis’ captain.

Du Plessis had long been regard as a player of much potential.

The classy right-hander showed as much in Brisbane in 2007 when he scored 62 in a win over an Australian academy side best remembered by the suspensions handed out to Mark Cosgrove, David Warner and Aaron Finch for having a messy room.

But there were deficiencies in du Plessis’ game, and he was desperate for a more global outlook to develop his cricket.

Brought up in South Africa’s pace factory he wasn’t the player of spin he is now.

It was Law, whose one Test is a legacy of Australia’s great batting depth throughout the 1990s, who helped sharpen the edges.

“I learned a hell of a lot from Stuey,” du Plessis told AAP.

“If I had to pick one specific thing, it was probably playing spin.

“He played spin unbelievably well. I used to watch him closely, and this was before the IPL took off so you’d be facing the best spinners in the world.

“I remember batting with him one time against Mushtaq Ahmed. The way he’d hit with the spin through covers was amazing, and that’s something I took into my game.”

In the early days of their time together, it was a relationship described best as pupil and teacher.

But in time du Plessis adopted Law as much more than that, and the bond has endured the test of time and jam-packed international schedules.

“I saw him in Australia when I was over there with South Africa. I saw him in the IPL, and also when he was working with Sri Lanka,” he said.

“Every time we bump into each other in the world, we have a coffee and catch up.

“Back at Lancs I’d go over there for a barbecue with his family. He was more of a father figure.

“He gave me information all the time and I spoke to him a hell of a lot about cricket.

“Especially batting, but also on leadership. I wanted to learn from him as much as possible.”

They were productive lessons.

Less than three months after making his Test debut in Adelaide, where du Plessis’ epic innings lasted almost eight hours and famously saved his side from defeat, he was named the nation’s Twenty20 captain.

His stocks rose again in December against India when he proved Adelaide was no fluke, batting through most of the fifth day and putting the Proteas within reach of their world-record target of 458.

“I like to be there when we’re in trouble and be the guy to see us through,” du Plessis said.

“It’s more a personality thing than a cricketing skill.”

That knock of 134 came at second drop in place of an overworked Jacques Kallis.

On Wednesday, in the first Test against Australia at Centurion, he takes the No.4 position full-time after the departure of Kallis.

Local pundits are worried about life after Kallis. Hashim Amla is not.

“He (du Plessis) has proven he is a world-class performer in the Test arena,” Amla said.

Du Plessis goes into the Test following a masterful unbeaten century in a warm-up game on a difficult Wanderers wicket.

In that contest he played offspinner Simon Harmer with ease, sweeping, cutting and driving for boundaries.

If Nathan Lyon cops the same treatment at Centurion, the Australian tweaker will know who to blame.