Perth: JP Duminy, who scored 141 on the third day of the WACA test against Australia in the ongoing Commonwealth Bank series, has described the innings as a ‘step in the right direction’. It is to be reminded that Duminy was dropped from the Proteas Test side in January, due to his performances which didn’t win favor of the national selectors.
The all-rounder said he went through an introspection and was determined to make a contribution after being given a second chance.
Speaking about the period, Duminy said, “There were indifferent feelings, I wasn’t sure where I was going in terms of my career. I’m grateful to get another opportunity, I got another opportunity in the fourth Test against England and did okay. I always knew that to try and make a mark in Test cricket again I needed to put in the performances.”
Speaking further about the breakthrough that came to this rough phase, he added, “The change came just before the West Indies tour. I sat down and re-assessed where I wanted to go and re-assessed my goals. Test cricket has always been a big part of my goal-setting, I knew that I was at a crossroad in terms of my Test career and I wanted to leave my Test career knowing that I had given it my all. I committed to giving myself the best chance, in whichever way that I could, so that was the difference.”
This Test century ended his 11-match drought as he took the responsibility of moving up the order to number four in absence of AB de Villiers. Speaking about the opportunity to move up the order, he said, “I was pleased with the opportunity. It’s something that I have enjoyed in the first-class arena, batting at four, and to be given the nod to go ahead, especially with it being a crucial position in the South African team, was a positive for me. I knew I had to step up and fill some big boots, we had Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers batting there before, so there are some big boots to fill and obviously today was a step in the right direction.”
Speaking about the intensity of the game against Australia, he continued, “You know that you have to bring your ‘A’ game every time that you play against them. There is no period that you get to rest and today was testament to that. I didn’t feel at any stage that I could relax and take my time, it was about focusing on every ball. That is something that myself and Dean (Elgar) spoke about, focusing on the next ball, especially if there was something that happened in the wicket or a good ball was bowled. We came down the wicket and made sure that we focused on the next ball, that was the key to our partnership.”
Ending his post match media session, the South African said that the team has yet to place a marker on a possible declaration target, and are rather focused on batting time with the lead currently sitting at 388.