Cape Town - JP Duminy is set to take the next step in his professional coaching career when he is unveiled as the Proteas Men’s team batting coach.
Duminy, who played 326 internationals across formats for the Proteas, is understood to have left his coaching post at the Paarl Rocks to join the national team.
The 38-year-old was in his first season as head coach of the Boland union, having also led the Paarl Royals to the semi-finals, in the inaugural edition of the Betway SA20 recently.
Duminy has, though, previously spent time with the Lions up at the Wanderers in Johannesburg as the batting consultant upon retirement, while also accompanying the Proteas Men’s team to the ICC T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in 2021 as a specialist consultant.
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Although the Proteas failed to reach the semi-finals during that tournament in the UAE, the feedback received from the national team players was extremely positive, with Duminy’s approach to batting and overall man-management really appreciated with the national team set up.
Duminy will replace Justin Sammons, who was also part of the 2021 T20 World Cup management team but continued as the team’s batting coach.
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It has not yet been confirmed whether Duminy will form part of his mentor Shukri Conrad’s Test management staff or Rob Walter’s white-ball team.
A classy left-hander during his playing days, Duminy certainly faces a tough task, particularly if handed the Test role.
The Proteas Test batting unit has been a shambles for a period time, managing to pass 200 only once in their last nine Tests.
Equally, there were only two individual Test centurions during 2022 when opener Sarel Erwee and wicket-keeper Kyle Verreynne reached the milestone in the second Test against New Zealand at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
The white-ball - both the ODI and T20I - teams have had greater individual success, but have still been found floundering chasing under pressure as the T20 unit discovered in the shock defeat to the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup last year at the Adelaide Oval.
Cricket SA have already confirmed the departure of bowling coach Charl Langeveldt, who is set to take up a post at the upcoming Indian Premier League.
Langeveldt’s replacement will also be named shortly.
@ZaahierAdams