New dad JP wants hands-on India role
Proteas all-rounder ready to fill in for Faf in T20s at start of busy summer
THE start of the most delectable international cricket summer is almost upon us. After last season’s World Cup disappointment at Eden Park, the country switched its emotions over to the oval-ball game and the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup.
But after the Boks lost to the brave Japanese in Brighton last Saturday, there is no doubt South Africans will once again be looking to the Proteas to bring some sort of respectability to one of the country’s national sports. It isn’t going to be an easy task, though, with a 72-day trip to India – South Africa’s longest visit to the sub-continent yet – followed with a bumper in-bound tour by England.
The action doesn’t stop there. World champions Australia also visit these shores in preparation for the World T20 jamboree in India next March. It sure is a jam-packed schedule that should get every cricket fan salivating at the prospect of watching South Africa battle world cricket’s “Big Three”.
Even the Proteas players are excited, with star all-rounder JP Duminy eager to get back into the melting pot of intense international cricket after missing the recent series against New Zealand due to the birth of his first child, daughter Isabella.
“The past month has been really good to spend some quality time with (wife) Sue and Isabella. Being a father has added a whole new dimension to my life. I’m a real ‘handson’ type of father… I’ve been changing nappies and getting up at night to help Sue, who’s been terrific,” Duminy said.
“But it’s time for daddy to go back to work now. And I’m really looking forward to this India tour. It’s going to be a long one, but the next month is going to be really big in terms of how our season progresses.”
Duminy will certainly have a crucial role to play in the Proteas’ fortunes, especially in the T20 series that kicks off the tour next Friday in Dharamsala. The Proteas play a warm-up fixture two days earlier against an Indian Board President’s XI at the Palam Ground in Delhi.
Besides Duminy being the joint mostcapped Proteas T20 player of all time with AB de Villiers on 61 matches, the 31-yearold’s extensive experience of playing T20s in India will be invaluable to the national cause on this trip. He is the current captain of Indian Premier League outfit Delhi Daredevils, while he has previously represented Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He has also played in a couple of Champions League T20 campaigns for the Cape Cobras in India. His input will be particularly vital when the conditions at the various venues are discussed in planning meetings, and coach Russell Domingo, who will be on his first official tour to India with the Proteas, shouldn’t hestitate to use Duminy’s wisdom.
“There are definitely certain grounds in India that are smaller than other grounds in the world, and in T20 cricket that can potentially make a big difference,” Duminy said. “It could affect both your batting and bowling plans, in terms of possibly how much is enough when you’re setting a target; likewise the strategies on which bowlers to use when, etcetera.
“The pitches are generally good for batting with high scores a common feature in the IPL. But looking at the squads they (India) have selected, there is obviously a heavy emphasis on spin, and that could influence the way the surfaces are going to be prepared as it could even turn quite significantly in the T20s already. As a batting unit, we are going to have to come up with good game plans to counter India’s spin threat.”
A close eye will be kept on Proteas T20 captain Faf du Plessis’ fitness after the skipper missed both the T20 and ODI series against the Black Caps with a knee injury.
Although the Proteas remain positive that Du Plessis will be ready to take his place before next Friday’s opener, they do have a capable candidate in Duminy to fill the No 3 role in T20s should the skipper not be fit in time. Duminy was South Africa’s leading run-scorer in last year’s World T20 in Bangladesh in similar conditions to those expected in India, and he has often experienced his most successful run with the bat when he is afforded time at the crease.