Ashwell Prince: JP Duminy was considering retirement from Test cricket

JP Duminy was reported to have been considering retirement from Tests in January 2016, before he talked it out with then South African selector Ashwell Prince.

South African one of the most reliable middle-order batsman JP Duminy was reported to have been considering retirement from the longer format of the game in January 2016, before he talked it out with then South African selector Ashwell Prince. Duminy, who is currently playing the first of the three-Test series vs Australia at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Stadium in Perth, scored an unbeaten 141 on Day 3 on Saturday, as South Africa also have a 300-run lead over the hosts in the second innings. Duminy was going through a rough patch earlier, but has bounced back in a commendable fashion. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs South Africa, 1st Test at WACA, Perth

“When he was dropped in January, he was considering retiring from Test cricket. He had the conversation with me because the convener of selectors was not at the Cape Town Test, so I had to go and take him the news that he won’t be playing. At that time, he was at a real low point and he was being honest and giving his feelings. As a selector, and with him being an important player to South African cricket, you try and convince him to think about it. I’m sure when he thinks back about that conversation this afternoon or this evening, he will know how he was feeling then and with the feeling he is having now, he will be happy that he carried on,” said Ashwell Prince, reports espncricinfo.com.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was but he was out of form. With the type of calendar that they have these days, he has got a young baby, a young family, all that might have played a role. I was talking to him as a friend, rather than a selector. I was making him understand how important Test cricket is for a player. You can play hundreds of ODIs and T20 and make millions but when you are done playing, you always think about what you did in the Test match arena. You can play fifty ODIs quickly and not remember anything. These type of performances, that’s what the game is all about,”  Prince added.

On being asked on how he made Duminy change his decision to retire, Prince said. “I don’t know what changed from him wanting a break and then playing in that match but he got 250 straight away and I think the next Test he was back in.”

Speaking on if moving hm up the order at No. 4 helped, Prince said, “If you are at no.6, 90% of the time, you are batting with the bowlers so you will always have to try and think how am I going to marshall my way through this innings. Do I trust them? Are they looking good on the day or are they looking like it’s going to be a matter of time? You are taking everything into consideration, whether it’s spinning, whether they are getting in line behind the ball. Maybe upfront he is a lot more relaxed, he has a lot more time to bat, he doesn’t have to think should I attack more, should I defend more, or how the tail is lining up. He just has to bat.”

“I think its 100% mindset. I think maybe he has thought about and committed to wanting to do more in his Test career,” Prince said. “In the first innings [in Perth] he came out looking to play more positively and maybe once or twice was a little loose, in the second innings he came out positive again but a lot more selective. His shot selection and his stroke play has been sublime,” Prince concluded.

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