Sydney – Almost like that flu that doesn’t want to go away in winter, South Africa can’t seem to shake of a spate of injuries that seem to be following the team around during this World Cup with JP Duminy the latest to undergo rehabilitation for a suspected side strain.
Although it is understood that the injury is not deemed serious enough to keep Duminy out of tomorrow’s crucial World Cup tie here at the SCG against the West Indies, the all-rounder was seen doing extensive rehab with physiotherapist Brendon Jackson in the pouring rain on the outfield yesterday.
South Africa will certainly be careful in monitoring the 31-year-old’s fitness, especially as he has endured a torrid time with injuries over the past few years. Duminy tore his Achilles here in Australia in 2012 and was forced to return home and was sidelined for seven months, while last year his chronic knee injury flared up which saw him miss the home Test series against the West Indies.
With South Africa already having to do without Vernon Philander’s all-round skills for the next seven-to-10 days due to a Grade One hamstring strain, they can ill-afford to lose Duminy at this stage, too. Both players are integral to the core balance of the team, even more so due to the conundrum surrounding the increasingly important No7 position.
South Africa are desperately searching for an individual with the necessary batting and bowling skills to take hold of that position. However, considering the personnel within the squad, it is more than likely that one of the specialist batsmen will have to provide a bowling option.
With the possibility that Duminy could be restricted in regards to putting in a full quota of 10 overs, there is a likelihood that AB de Villiers may have to turn his arm over tomorrow morning – the captain spending a large part of the net session bowling yesterday.
South Africa are still uncertain about the make-up of their starting XI, with a host of possible options to consider. Seamer Kyle Abbott could replace Philander, while specialist batsman Rilee Rossouw could come in at the expense of Wayne Parnell.
Considering the manner in which Parnell blew away the Windies in the final ODI at Centurion prior the World Cup when he claimed four wickets, it could certainly be worthwhile to keep faith with the left-armer in the hope that the sight of familiar opposition will help him regain his form after the Melbourne debacle.
“I have captained Parney a lot before in T20 cricket and you know that he is a match-winner. You know he could go for runs and on another day he will take four wickets and win the game for you ... He is match-winner and we want match-winners,” Faf du Plessis said yesterday.
“If he is in the side for the next game, I expect him to blow the match open for us. You never expect Parny to concede three runs per over and take one or two wickets. We are very comfortable with the bowler that is. With guys like Dale (Steyn) and Immy (Tahir) holding it tight for us, we are able to live with having a guy like Parney running into strike for us. It didn’t work out like that on Sunday but we sure he will come back stronger.”
Du Plessis is also confident that South Africa’s batting unit, which has been slightly off colour in the first two games of this World Cup, can counter anything the latest addition to “The 200 Club” Chris Gayle will hit the Proteas with tomorrow.
“Gayle is a world class player. He is a dangerous player and on the day he gets in, he can score very quickly. But what we can reflect on, we have scored the most hundreds. Our average as a top six is the highest. We have been batting brilliantly for the past 16 months. We know Hash and AB are the most consistent batsmen in the world. And Hash doesn’t not score for three games in a row,” South Africa’s No3 said. - The Star