Cape Cobras coach Shukri Conrad believes that national coach Mickey Arthur is doing the country a disservice by not including batsman JP Duminy in the national squad.
Conrad made his plea after Duminy, who continues to put pressure on the top players, scored another hundred last weekend in the SuperSport Series. He believes the selectors should take note of the young Cape talent.
”Duminy is hammering on the door at the moment,” he told the Afrikaans Sunday newspaper Sondag. ”He is putting pressure on players in the team and he deserves to get a chance sooner rather than later. If you want to be the best in the world, then you need the best players.
”We have never doubted JP’s talent and it has always looked as if he has a little bit more time than other players to play his shots. I would play a player like that against Bangladesh to get him ready to face the Aussies at the end of the year,” Conrad said.
But national coach Arthur doesn’t agree. While confirming Duminy as a talent, Arthur said that Duminy needs to produce more if he wants a permanent place in the Test team.
”What he needs is experience. JP needs to produce more centuries on a more consistent basis,” Arthur told Sondag.
He said that experienced Highveld Lions and South Africa A captain Neil McKenzie is the next in line. ”We’re definitely looking to take an experienced batsman like Neil along as a reserve. It also looks as if his injury is almost healed. If Herschelle Gibbs doesn’t score more runs, more consistently, then McKenzie is there to put pressure on him.”
South Africa will tour Bangladesh next month for a two-Test series. — Sapa