JP Duminy chasing perfection against West Indies in Barbados

24 June 2016 - 12:33 By Telford Vice

Perfection is to sport what alchemy is to chemistry‚ but JP Duminy wants to dabble in the strange stuff anyway.And in SA’s triseries match against West Indies in Barbados on Friday (7pm start‚ SA time)‚ no less - a shootout for the right to play Australia in Sunday’s final.“If you look back at the games we’ve played so far we’ve been reasonably good in one area‚” Duminy told reporters in Barbados.“We haven’t completed a game where we’ve done well with bat and ball.“So we’re searching for that perfect game. This game would be a perfect game to do it.” How Duminy doesn’t see SA’s performance in St Kitts last Wednesday‚ when they totalled 343/4 and dismissed the Windies for 204‚ as perfect is difficult to fathom.A sublime 110 by Hashim Amla in an opening stand of 182.Quinton de Kock hanging tough for 71 despite him and his timing being in separate hemispheres.Faf du Plessis batting like a dream for his unbeaten 73. Imran Tahir ripping through the home side to take 7/45‚ the best figures by a South African in an ODI.How in WG Grace’s name is that not perfect?Because that was there and then‚ and this is here and now‚ Duminy more or less said.“West Indies have batted really well and this venue leans towards a good batting wicket. So it’s probably going to come down to who bats better on this surface.“The first 15 to 20 overs are going to be crucial - setting the platform leading into the game.”Why bowlers are bossing batsmen in this tri-seriesWhat's that shimmering like a mirage from the middle of the ground? If you're in the Caribbean, particularly in Jamaica, less often in Barbados, never in Guyana, but almost everywhere else in the region that made cricket sexy, it's the pitch. Kensington Oval in Bridgetown is bigger and blessed with a faster pitch than Warner Park in Basseterre in St Kitts.That won’t hurt SA: they are at a venue that offers conditions as close as those they are used to at home as any they will find in the Caribbean.Of course the West Indians are one up on that score - they are at home. But let’s not complicate things.“In these sort of knockout games the key for us is to try and keep it as simple as possible‚” Duminy said.“If we can focus on doing the basics well we give ourselves the best chance of coming out on top. This is a crunch game. We see it as a semi-final‚ so we’re definitely up for it.“We’ve had reasonable success in similar situations so we will draw on those experiences. But it’s about concentrating on what’s in front of us.“The mood is relaxed‚ which is a good mood for us to be in because we know we’re going to have to put in that big performance. We’ve gelled well as a team over the last week. We’ve connected off the field but now it’s important to connect on the field.”Proteas go soft in the middle"Calypso collapso" would normally be attributed to the West Indies and their tendency to lose wickets in a heap. If Duminy means SA have missed more than they have hit in the tournament‚ he’s right. After five games they have two wins and a washout to show for their efforts. Their other victory - against Australia in Guyana almost three weeks ago - was wrought by the bowlers after the batsmen got it badly wrong.But they were perfect last Wednesday.If they are again on Friday‚ they will win.- TMG Digital..

There’s never been a more important time to support independent media.

From World War 1 to present-day cosmopolitan South Africa and beyond, the Sunday Times has been a pillar in covering the stories that matter to you.

For just R80 you can become a premium member (digital access) and support a publication that has played an important political and social role in South Africa for over a century of Sundays. You can cancel anytime.

Already subscribed? Sign in below.



Questions or problems? Email helpdesk@timeslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00.