JP Duminy admits he deserved to be dropped from the Test side
What's the story?
South African all-rounder JP Duminy believes that his Test career was over a couple of months before he announced retirement from the format. The 33-year-old admitted that he felt that he "deserved to dropped".
Speaking ahead of South Africa Invitation XI's match against Bangladesh prior to the ODI series, Duminy said: "Walking off after Lord's. I felt a change needed to happen. I rightly deserved to be dropped. There were guys putting up their hands for places and I felt I needed a different path."
In case you didn't know...
The all-rounder played the last of his 46 Tests, against England at Lord's in July 2017. In his final appearance he could manage just 15 and 2 as the hosts comprehensively beat South Africa by 211 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
The heart of the matter
Since he made his Test debut in 2008, Duminy has failed to establish his place in the South African Test side. His tally of his just 6 hundreds in 46 Tests aren't great numbers for a recognised batsman, even if two of those hundreds did come in the last year.
However, as Duminy himself admitted, he wasn't at home in the longest format as he was in colored clothing for the Proteas, where he continues to be an integral member of the side.
What's next?
Following the Invitational game, Duminy's next assignment will be the ODI series against Bangladesh, where he will play alongside a full-strength Proteas outfit that will include the likes of Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and co. as the Proteas look to reclaim their No.1 ODI ranking.
Author's take
It is not often that you see international cricketers be brutally honest about their place in the side. Such is the competitive spirit within each cricketer that nobody really wants to admit that they shouldn't be in the side. It was refreshingly honest of JP Duminy to admit that he felt his time was up. While he has always been a bit of a question mark in the South African Test side, he still has a lot to offer to the limited-overs side.
His all-round ability coupled with his experience makes him an invaluable asset to the Proteas, especially as they seek to build with the 2019 World Cup in mind under new coach Otis Gibson.