Haine stops play - Can Superstition return Duminy to form?
23 Feb 2010 - 12:01:21
Now, I'm not one for superstitions, although some people love that sort of malarkey. But, if I were JP Duminy at the moment, I would try absolutely anything to get back into knick. Apparently, in a province game, Neil McKenzie's team mates once pulled a prank on him by taping his bat to the dressing room ceiling and, once he hauled it down, he went out and scored a hundred.
The superstitious bloke then started to do so regularly to see if it would bring about the same results. Such is his form, if Duminy took a leaf out of the McKenzie book of superstitions, I'm not sure that it would hinder his performance too much if he got out to the middle and realised he had left his bat stuck to the ceiling.
Here are the facts: Jean-Paul Duminy has scored 73 runs in his last nine Test innings (an average of 8.11) and, out of his 20 Test innings so far, he has failed to score more than 20 runs on 14 occasions.
That's worse than my club form; and I'm rubbish, trust me. In three innings against India, Hashim Amla scored 490 runs – only 28 less runs then JP has scored in his Test career. Enough statistics for you? Thought so.
And with the horribly out of sorts Ashwell Prince joining him in the middle order for the Test match loss in Kolkata, it was like watching Mr Magoo and David Blunkett take on the Indian bowlers.
But don't be surprised if Duminy scores a ton in his next international innings and attributes it to a new pre-match ritual he has adopted.
Perhaps he will revert to watching Kojak DVDs on the eve of a Test match. He may then bat whilst sucking a lollipop in order to adopt the impenetrable psychological state of Lieutenant Theo Kojak himself, before raising his bet aloft upon reaching three figures and screaming "Who loves ya, baby?"
Or maybe he will prepare by indulging in a biltong and droë wors eating contest before a big match. Well, it seems to work for Jacques Kallis. Either way, Duminy needs to try something new, or else he will end up on the cricket scrapheap.
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