South Africa's batting coach shockingly steps down with immediate effect in middle of 2nd Test against Sri Lanka

South Africa's batting coach shockingly steps down with immediate effect in middle of 2nd Test against Sri Lanka
South Africa's former white-ball batting coach JP Duminy with Matthew Breetzke during a team training session

Highlights:

South Africa's white-ball batting coach JP Duminy has resigned from the top post

Duminy's resignation came after a mutual agreement with the governing body

Cricket South Africa has announced the departure of JP Duminy from his role as the white-ball batting coach. Duminy stepped down on Friday, December 6, following a mutual agreement with the governing body.

JP Duminy resigns as South Africa's white-ball batting coach

Duminy was appointed to the position in March 2023, working under head coach Rob Walter. His appointment marked the beginning of a new era for South African cricket, following the departure of Mark Boucher.Cricket South Africa released an official statement confirming the news.

 

"Cricket South Africa (CSA) announces that JP Duminy has stepped down from his role as the white-ball batting coach with immediate effect, following a mutual agreement with CSA based on personal reasons," the statement read.

"JP Duminy, a stalwart of South African cricket, has been a key member of the limited-overs coaching staff since his appointment in March 2023. His contributions to the growth and development of the batting department within the national white-ball setup have been invaluable.

 

"CSA wishes Duminy all the best in his future endeavours and thanks him for his contributions to the Proteas Men’s team during his tenure. A process to identify a suitable replacement is currently underway, and the appointment of a new white-ball batting coach will be announced in due course," the statement added.

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Before his role with the national team, Duminy served as the head coach of the SA20 side Paarl Royals and the domestic side Boland. It remains unclear whether he will continue coaching in the near future.

Duminy was part of the white-ball team during their successful run to the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final. However, he had to withdraw from the T20 World Cup in June due to personal reasons.

Cricket South Africa will initiate the process of finding a replacement for Duminy soon. However, it may not be possible to appoint a replacement in time for the upcoming series against Pakistan.

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The series against Pakistan will commence with three T20Is, which will be played without the white-ball players who are involved in the Test series against Sri Lanka. The series will then transition into three ODIs, serving as preparation for the Champions Trophy.

If CSA is unable to find a suitable full-time replacement for Duminy, they may consider appointing Imraan Khan, the current batting lead. Khan, the former Dolphins coach, was appointed in August and accompanied the Test team to Bangladesh. His appointment came during Ashwell Prince's absence, who has since returned to his role as red-ball batting coach.