Batting shake-up? No, Quinton’s priceless at 7, JP just needs form

AS IS often the case with “debates” on social media, points may be well made, but differences descend into personal attacks – playing the man and not the ball if you will.

That was the case this week with Daryll Cullinan’s musings about the Proteas Test team’s batting line-up and specifically two players; Quinton de Kock and JP Duminy.

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For those who haven’t seen it, Cullinan reckoned that Duminy – to use a phrase made famous about an Arsenal football player – was “nicking a living”, in the SA side. Cullinan’s solution to drop Duminy and have De Kock promoted to No 4 in the order and relinquish the wicketkeeping duties provided the foundation for the “debate”.

I disagree quite strongly with Cullinan’s opinion on that matter. For one, De Kock is far too valuable at No 7 and he can change the flow of a match rapidly. In the first innings of the Perth Test he and Temba Bavuma shared a crucial partnership that helped build a respectable total. It gave the bowlers something to work with and as we saw, they did so magnificently even in the absence of the leader of the attack. In the next match in Hobart he and Bavuma put on 144 for the sixth wicket – a match-winning partnership. In Wellington the pair were at it again adding 160 for the seventh wicket.

Those kinds of runs hurt the opposition, and frankly De Kock has done that too often in his short Test career to now think of changing an element of the batting unit that is a genuine weapon with him at 7.

As for the keeping; De Kock’s put a lot of work into that area of his game, something to which his former franchise coach Geoffrey Toyana and Mark Boucher can attest.

The Duminy side of the argument is a different one. The elegant left-hander has become a target for criticism simply because he hasn’t done enough throughout his Test career to justify his talent.

Duminy would be the first to admit it. But he’s been given the primary spot in the batting order – a position Cullinan occupied in his playing days – and has performed well, although not consistently.

Consistency hasn’t just been a problem for Duminy; others like Stephen Cook, Bavuma and Hashim Amla haven’t strung together big scores in the manner expected of them by the national captain and coach. Duminy’s an easy target, but he’s done enough – just – this season to justify holding the No 4 spot.

Cullinan’s not wrong; his opinion is ill-timed. This season has seen the Proteas bounce back superbly after last summer’s troubles.

The onus is on Duminy like it is on Cook, Amla and Bavuma to bat more consistently. But they already know that.