On point with the ball, now JP’s craving runs

‘Golden arm’ Duminy breaks key stand, goes on to get career-best figures

JP DUMINY has a few favourite grounds around the world. Newlands for obvious reasons ranks highest, but it is closely followed by the MCG and the WACA - the two Australian venues will always be close to the left-hander’s heart due to the heroics he has performed there in the past.

There’s no doubt though that Wellington’s Basin Reserve will be added to that list soon enough. It is the place where Duminy struck his second Test century five years ago.

And now, on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand, he’s achieved his Test career-best bowling figures on a pitch that has traditionally been a burial ground for spinners but a haven for seam bowlers.

In fact, Duminy’s 4/47 and his spinning partner Keshav Maharaj’s 2/47 represented the first time six wickets had fallen to the spinners in New Zealand’s capital city on the first day of a Test since 1946 when Australian legend Bill O’Reilly - a bowler Don Bradman described as “the greatest he’s ever played with or against” was still tormenting batsmen.

But Duminy is first and foremost a batsman. Everyone knows it, he knows it, and most importantly he needs to show it during this second Test after a barren spell with the willow thus far on this tour.

But with South Africa utilising an attack that comprises only three seamers and the specialist left-arm spin of Maharaj over the course of the Test season, there is great value in captain Faf du Plessis having the all-round talents of Duminy at his disposal.

Since Jacques Kallis’s retirement there has been a hope within the Proteas set-up that Duminy could provide the much-needed balance with his off-spin, but due to the 32-year-old experiencing a number of major injuries, and the loss of batting form at times, this option has not developed at the pace they might have wanted.

But that has not stopped Duminy from working tirelessly behind the scenes with spin bowling coach Claude Henderson and his beloved Basin on Thursday finally provided the stage on which he could shine.

“It’s something that I have been working on for a period of time and unfortunately I haven’t reaped any rewards, but I guess it comes down to opportunities,” Duminy said after playing a large role in dismissing New Zealand for 268 yesterday.

“If you look at recent Test matches, our seam attack, coupled with Keshav (Maharaj), has been doing really well. I’ve been getting the odd over here and there so the opportunities haven’t really been there. When you look at a spinner, it’s got to be a big portion of overs that they have to bowl to get success. (It) was one of those days ALSO INSIDE: It’s City vs Liverpool, P26 England aim for record, P27 Blitzboks’ injury woes, P27 when I got an opportunity to carry on.”

In the past Duminy has mostly been used as a partnership-breaker, or “golden arm”, as Du Plessis likes to call him. With this in mind it was clear to see what the plan was when Du Plessis tossed Duminy the ball just into the final session. With New Zealand centurion Henry Nicholls