Having captained the Proteas and the Delhi Daredevils before, JP Duminy will finally get the opportunity to lead his home town Cape Cobras in this season’s T20 Challenge.
Although regular Cobras skipper Dane Piedt has performed admirably under often trying circumstances over the past eight months, it is only logical for Duminy to take over the leadership reins now that he is available for all forms of white-ball domestic cricket.
Duminy, 33, retired from Test cricket earlier this year to focus solely on limited-overs in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup in England.
“It is going to be a nice responsibility,” Duminy exclusively told Independent Media on Tuesday. “It is going to be different to the leading the Proteas and more like in the IPL. In the national team most players know their games and what they need to do, but in franchise cricket there are quite a number of young players that often need guidance, so that’s always an exciting challenge.”
BREAKING NEWS: @jpduminy21 will captain the @CobrasCricket in this season's T20 Challenge. #KoppeJouLekaDing @CTKRiders @IOLsport pic.twitter.com/84DV23R5td
— Zaahier Adams (@ZaahierAdams) November 7, 2017
Duminy, though, will at least have the experience and quality of fellow Proteas Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Vernon Philander and Dane Paterson alongside him when the Cobras open their T20 Challenge campaign against the Dolphins in the first match of a double-header at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Sunday.
Duminy was meant to lead the Cape Town Knight Riders in the inaugural Global T20 League before it was postponed until next season, and the classy left-hander believes the new challenge with the Cobras has come at just the right time.
“I was really excited to lead the Knight Riders and building a new brand in Cape Town, but that has to wait for a little while now and it was quite disappointing.
“However, growing up in Cape Town, playing my first game for Western Province when I was still at school, I never thought I would captain the Cobras. It wasn’t in my make-up at the time. But having now learnt from great leaders, not just cricket captains, as I have grown older has really got me excited about leading the team I grew up with. I am actually quite nervous,” Duminy chirped.