With the ODI series already wrapped up in favour of the Proteas before Wednesday’s final game at Newlands, the match is a valuable final run-out for the next month’s Test tour Down Under.
Even though it is in a different format, time out in the middle is always vital, and the fact that Proteas captain Faf du Plessis won the toss was just the outcome JP Duminy needed.
South Africa is set to depart for Australia on Sunday ahead of the first Test of three in Perth, which starts on November 3. And while Duminy did score 82 in the second match of the ODI series at the Wanderers, it has been a rather lean trot for the stylish left-hander.
He had scores of nine, 20 and 25 in his three other innings before the Newlands game, and got out to a soft dismissal each time, holding out a man on the boundary or the inner ring.
So the 32-year-old would’ve wanted to put some numbers on the board and possibly get some confidence back flying to Australia, and that is exactly what he produced on a cloudy afternoon at Newlands.
Coming to the crease with the Proteas in trouble at 52/3 – with Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and Du Plessis back in the change room – Duminy and the imposing Rilee Rossouw set about putting their team back on course with a wonderful fourth-wicket partnership of 178, which is a record at Newlands.
While Rossouw continued on his merry way with a sparkling 122 off just 118 balls, it was Duminy who knuckled down and played with great purpose in compiling a substantial innings.
He must’ve known that it was going to be his day when he received a juicy half-volley outside off and pulled off his trademark cover drive to get going, but he carried on in that vein. You know Duminy’s balance is on point when he drives straight down the ground, and he did that a few times, while he also pushed the ball around behind and in front of square on both sides of the wicket.
He only had eight boundaries in his 73 off 75 balls, and would’ve been disappointed with the manner of his dismissal as he carved a wide delivery from Joe Mennie to George Bailey at backward point.
The Proteas put together a well-constructed innings to finish on 327/8 off their 50 overs, the third-highest ODI score at Newlands, and will be confident of wrapping up a 5-0 series win in the evening.
But there’s no doubt that Duminy got into the groove, something that he and coach Russell Domingo would’ve been happy to see at this stage, and he will have two further two-day warm-up games in Australia before the first Test at the Waca to fine-tune his game.
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