“He’s been the first to acknowledge that his performances have not stacked up”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has confirmed that all-rounder JP Duminy will be dropped for the second Test against England in Nottingham, which gets underway on Friday.

Earlier this week, Du Plessis admitted that Duminy’s struggles with the bat could no longer be ignored as he is a senior member of the Test side.

With Duminy only scoring 15 and 2 in the first Test at Lord’s, it has now been eight innings since the 33-year-old has surpassed the 40-run mark.

“He’s taken it very well,” Du Plessis said. “If we were to take a picture of what it means to be a team player, he leads that every day. He’s a great team man, that’s why you want him to do well.

“He’s possibly been given a longer run because you know what he presents and how he helps out with the team away from the runs. He’s been the first to acknowledge that his performances have not stacked up – certainly not what we need from a No. 4 batsman.”

Upon hearing that he would not be playing in the second Test, Duminy opted not to bat in the nets and instead bowled and gave throwdowns to his teammates.

“He just served the team and took focus off himself as a player,” Du Plessis said. “That’s what this team is about, how well you can help your teammates out and not just look after your own game.”

Meanwhile, Du Plessis revealed that Duanne Olivier will replace seamer Kagiso Rabada, who was banned for the second Test after telling England all-rounder Ben Stokes to “f**k off” upon dismissing him on the opening day of the first Test.