Bat and ball / Andrew Hughes / 22 January 2009 /

Australia [1.56] and South Africa [2.74] are locked at 1-1 in their current ODI series with the third fixture on Friday January 23, but could the Proteas' latest batting star be the man to tip the balance? Andrew Hughes reports on the new star with the big stick.

Beating Australia in their own backyard is quite an achievement and of course, for the rest of the world, an Australian defeat is always a source of amusement . But let's be honest, this is an Aussie team with a few problems. So whilst South African fans are entitled to celebrate their historic series win for a while yet, their loudest toast should be to the emergence of a new batting star in the international firmament. For all that we've admired Sehwag, Yuvraj, Clarke, Pietersen and Sangakkara, the time was right for a newcomer. And his name is Jean-Paul Duminy.

Bringing the flair
Throughout their rise up the world rankings, South African batting has been dour. Successful, but dour. More dour than a wet weekend in Cowdenbeath with Gordon Brown. Dour as ditchwater....but you get the idea. The batting order was a line-up full of grim-faced battlers. There was Graeme 'Brick Wall' Smith, Neil 'The Nudger' McKenzie, 'Cautious' Hashim Amla, 'Careful' Ashwell Prince and Jacques Kallis accumulating quietly, with one eye on his average and the other on the sweet trolley. Even the former dashing youth A B De Villiers had gone into his shell. Duminy's coming of age has brought a dash of flair to the South Africans and turned them into a properly dangerous batting force.

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Born in picturesque Strandfontain on the Western Cape coast, Duminy made his first class debut at 18 and two years later was playing for South Africa in a one day series in Sri Lanka. But it seems that this taste of fame went to his head. Eventually, his swaggering behaviour brought a dressing-room dressing-down from senior pro Gary Kirsten. The gist of it was that Duminy had more talent in his little finger than he (Kirsten) had in his whole body and that he had better knuckle down and make the most of it. Fortunately for Duminy and South Africa, he did just that.

The New Lara?
Brought into the squad that toured Pakistan in 2007, he remained with the team throughout their successful 2008 and got his chance when Ashwell Prince broke a thumb before the Perth Test. Duminy stroked an assured half century on his Test debut, helping A B De Villiers to steer the South Africans home. In the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, he racked up 166 and turned the game on its head. His elegant batting was notable for the precision with which he manouvered the ball and the calmness with which he went about his task. It was an innings that prompted Richie Benaud to compare him to the great Neil Harvey. Mark Taylor went further, saying that he reminded him of a young Brian Lara.

Million Dollar Batsman
Already a fixture in the limited overs sides due to his electric fielding and useful part-time off spin, he is now securely positioned at number six in the Test team. But he's unlikely to remain there. He has already been tried as high as three in the shorter formats and he looks bound to end up there in Tests, particularly as De Villiers is likely to take over wicket-keeping duties and drop down to six. Over the next two years, expect him to rise slowly up the ranks to assume his rightful position as a stylish number three. And he'll probably earn a few dollars along the way. Together with a clutch of England players, he's likely to be one of the star attractions in the IPL's player auction, scheduled for February 6.

The Johnson Factor
The current one day series between Australia and South Africa has been a cracker and is nicely poised at one apiece. The cricket hasn't been flawless, but no less entertaining for that. But there is a suspicion that South Africa, with their stand-in captain and unsettled batting order are not quite going to have enough to hold off an Australian team still looking for revenge. The Aussies are also likely to be boosted by the return of Mitchell Johnson for the third ODI in Sydney on Friday. The home side are [1.56] favourites to take a 2-1 lead with the South Africans available at [2.74].

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