5 reasons why JP Duminy has flopped in Tests

In December 2008, Melbourne saw a 24-year-old batsman, playing his only third Test innings bail out his team against ferocious bowling artillery that comprised of Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee and Peter Siddle.

The South African batsman took centrestage when his team was reduced to seven down for 184 and ended his innings when his team had gained a significant first innings lead against Australia.

That valiant and gutsy knock of 166 by JP Duminy scored is regarded as one of the bravest batting displays by an overseas batsman that Melbourne has ever seen.

That innings made Duminy South Africa’s next batting sensation and he was seen as the able successor of Jacques Kallis.

However, almost a decade after his scintillating performance in Melbourne, Duminy is far away from the player he was supposed to become and in fact is now on the verge of calling it a day.

The 33-year-old batsman has featured in 46 Tests but has failed to live up to the hype he created in his early days. His Test career is almost over and it seems that South African team management has moved on.

Duminy’s career paints an interesting story of a promising cricketer who ended up a big disappointment. But what exactly went wrong with him? We find out the reasons for the left-hand batsman’s fall in Test cricket.

#5. Inconsistent performances

The key reason for Duminy's below par Test career is his staggering inconsistency.

In 74 innings he has 14 fifty plus scores which translate into one fifty plus score every 5.28 innings. This conversion rate is too poor to sustain at the international level.

After his heroics in Melbourne, he scored his second hundred in 2012, then two more in 2014, one in 2016 and his last hundred in 2017. This wide gap between his big knocks has hampered his statistics and added to his downfall.

The Proteas batsman is the classic example of the 'boom and bust' player. When he was in form, he was the most elegant batsman on the ground, driving the ball in covers, cutting it to the square of the wicket and flicking it with quick wrists.

But when he was in bad form, his batting was the ugliest sight as he struggled against the length and failed miserably to time his shots.

This staggering inconsistency ensured that selectors and his supporters lost faith in him.

#4. Frequent injuries

Along with his inconsistent performances, frequent injuries kept Duminy out of the national team for several months.

Unfortunately, the timing of these injuries was critical as they embraced him just when he looked in good form.

In 2012, he scored a majestic 103 against New Zealand and then at Lord's produced a hard fought 61 off 158 balls against England to help his team win the game. But when he looked set to carry his form to Australia, he tore his Achilles' tendon and was out of action for seven months.

In 2015, South Africa defeated India in T20 series riding on Duminy's scintillating performances. But again an injured finger ensured that the left-hand batsman was ruled out of the subsequent Test series.

And in 2016, when he was battling with a bad patch a hamstring injury added to his miseries and he spent most of the in recovering his fitness.

These injuries have been as frequent as his inconsistent performances and added to his misfortune.

#3. Problems against left-arm pacers

Mitchell Johnson's left arm pace has troubled Duminy frequently

The South African batsman plays some of the most glorious drives on the off-side and is equally effective while negotiating the deliveries bowled on his pads. His powerful wrists allow him to flick the ball with ease.

However, the same strengths have resulted in his downfall on several occasions. He loves driving and cutting the ball and hence on frequent occasions has got out on deliveries that move away from his body.

His struggles are evident especially against left-arm pacers who move the ball away slightly after pitching it. He averages only 12.33 against left-arm pacers which is significantly low than his career average of 32.85.

Mitchell Johnson of Australia has got Duminy out on seven occasions which is indicative of Duminy's struggles against these bowlers. Also, in New Zealand in 2017, Neil Wagner sent him back three times in three innings.

#2. Constant shuffles in batting order

Under Smith, Duminy averages 35.61 but under Amla he averaged 26.70

The South African team management's lack of vision is also a contributor to Duminy's below par Test career.

The team management had no clear plan for exploiting Duminy's talent. In the initial years, he was batting in the lower middle order but a series of bad scores pushed him out of the team. When he returned to the side, the team slotted him in the top order only to bring him back to number six position.

This constant shuffling of batting positions has prevented the left-hand batsman from getting settled. The team management was never clear with what exactly they needed from Duminy and this lack of clarity resulted in Duminy feeling the extra pressure.

In December 2016 Faf du Plessis announced that he expected Duminy to take responsibility of the innings by batting at number four but within eight months of this statement, Duminy is again warming the benches.

This chain of events reflects how badly Duminy's services are being used by his captain.

#1. Failure to perform against the big guns

Duminy has failed consistently against England and India

Since 2010, South Africa has recorded the best win-loss ratio in Test cricket. Their ratio of 2.200 is followed by India (1.772), Australia (1.448) and England (1.312).

Out of these top three countries, Duminy has performed well only against Australia. He averages 44.22 against the Aussies but his performances against India and England, the two teams that have dominated Test cricket in this decade are abysmal.

Against England, he averages a mediocre 24.21 in 17 innings while against India his average slips down to 10.90. Interestingly he scored only two fifties against England and has no scores of fifties against India in 11 innings.

This staggering failure against the best teams is a prime reason why Duminy has flopped in Test cricket.