Why JP Duminy needs to be more consistent for South Africa in Tests

Proteas need to make a call on JP Duminy's Test career

JP Duminy, who has for some years been considered an integral part of the test link has suddenly come under heavy scrutiny for his recent run of low scores, especially in the test arena. The recent outburst of ex-Proteas batsman Daryll Cullinan seems to be reflective of Duminy’s downslide.

Duminy who started the Indian tour with a bang in Dharamsala seem to have lost the pace, with performances sinking low and hardly impactful to the team’s cause. His primary role in the test team is to add strength to a relatively new and naive middle-order comprising Temba Bavuma and Dane Villas or even De Kock (if he plays) and give an extra bowling option to Amla.

However, as things stand Duminy seems to be failing in both of them. For some time now he has failed on a regular basis and only performing on an odd day to secure his place in the squad.

In 2014, when Johnson decimated the Proteas in Centurion, Duminy’s place in the team came under intense scrutiny. But on a flat Port Elizabeth track, along with AB de Villiers, he scored a century and subsequently secured his place for the rest of the year.

Later that year in Srilanka, he failed miserably averaging only 25.5 with three scores of less than 10 in all four innings, with the other being an unbeaten hundred. Even against the faltering Windies, Duminy did not have to bat in the first test and contributed hardly anything with the ball as the pacers decimated the West Indies batting. However an injury meant he would miss out the remaining two matches.

A series of inconsistent performances against the West Indies and later in the World Cup (barring a hundred against Zimbabwe) saw him losing his test slot to Bavuma permanently. However as luck would have it, politics and South Africa’s preference for an experienced campaigner, saw him getting another chance and he made full use of it. His unbeaten 68 in a winning cause which gave him eight more opportunites on the bounce.

Barring taking a few wickets in the one-dayers , he made a 14 and 36 which were sufficient at that time to give Proteas a one-day series win. Duminy’s inconsistency got further highlighted when he scored only a meagre 15 in Bangalore, but because several top-order players, who are usually consistent only scored in single digits, he evaded the criticism even there, on his comeback from injury.

However now that Cullinan, who has been a mentor when Greame Smth led the Proteas, has come out and publicly called out Duminy for not shouldering responsiblity, the southpaw has to prove he has the mettle to perform on any given day, more consistently.

From zero to hero in the space of two years

In his last six years of International test cricket, he has been hugely inconsistent with the bat, averaging only 9 in 2010 and 90 in 2012, which speaks volumes about his inability to perform in the middle order on a regular basis.

In a year, if he is averaging only nine, a bulk of the run-getting responsibilty spontaneously comes upon the top three or four which makes situations worse against top teams, just like what hapenned against Australia in 2014 and presently now against India.

What makes matters worse is that his first-class stats are a far lot better than his Test numbers. An average of nearly fifty from 89 matches shows that despite his inconsistency, he still has a lot offer to the Proteas.

Now that he is one of the senior members of the squad, just like de Villiers and Amla, he needs to contribute far lot more than what he is doing at the moment.

Although South Africa are the No.1 ranked Test side, they find themselves at crossroads and need to make a mature and bold call regarding Duminy’s future. It is high time they do so, with plenty of younsters waiting in line and should make this move as early as they can to strengthen their middle order.

As for a player with golden arm and who can bat, they can definitely pursue with their openers Dean Elgar and Stiaan Van Zyl. They might be new in Test cricket but many have not heard their domestic feats and their international careers are still in their infancy.

In every sense, it would be more mature to put Bavuma in the mix and send Duminy a final call. Duminy’s performances and consistency in the next few games should decide whether he stays in the side or not.

The Proteas, for one, would be hoping he does well, for if he loses his place, his replacements would be relatively in-experienced and they would take time to settle in.