A nice article about an emmerging Cricket genious, 
For the love of Duminy
Test cricket's very first Jean-Paul is a once-in-a-generation player marked for greatness, as his feats in Australia prove
January 21, 2009
Fallen in love twice this year already. Even for a stubbornly unrepentant hopeful romantic that takes some doing. True, one of these affairs lasted precisely one date (congrats, Jo, on succeeding Mushtaq Ahmed as owner of the most deceptive wrong 'un in Sussex). Fortunately the other shows every sign of blooming for some time to come - and not just for my own selfish gratification. Come on. How could you not fall head over heels for Test cricket's very first Jean-Paul?
Since January 2007 international cricket has suffered an extraordinary, almost certainly unparalleled, spate of retirements. From the Olympian (Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya, Anil Kumble, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock and Shane Warne) to the merely marvellous (Sourav Ganguly, Stephen Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Justin Langer, Stuart MacGill), these are all grievous losses. Throw in the ICL-enforced exits of Shane Bond and Mohammad Yousuf, add Marcus Trescothick's depression, and you have an entire tour party's worth of seemingly irreplaceable parts, in the medium-term at the very least. Seemingly.
Yet, lo and behold, over the course of those two years a galleon chockfull of young shipmates with greatness in their grasp has cruised seamlessly, almost effortlessly, into view. Enough, indeed, to comprise a 2014 World Test XI - Gautam Gambhir, Hashim Amla, Duminy, AB De Villiers, Ross Taylor, Shakib Al-Hasan, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Ajantha Mendis. Throw in Stuart Broad, Shaun Marsh and the Morkels and, while arguably a touch light on top-order heft, the depth of skill, flexibility and temperament would surely satisfy all but the very fussiest selector.
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For the love of Duminy
Test cricket's very first Jean-Paul is a once-in-a-generation player marked for greatness, as his feats in Australia prove
January 21, 2009
Fallen in love twice this year already. Even for a stubbornly unrepentant hopeful romantic that takes some doing. True, one of these affairs lasted precisely one date (congrats, Jo, on succeeding Mushtaq Ahmed as owner of the most deceptive wrong 'un in Sussex). Fortunately the other shows every sign of blooming for some time to come - and not just for my own selfish gratification. Come on. How could you not fall head over heels for Test cricket's very first Jean-Paul?
Since January 2007 international cricket has suffered an extraordinary, almost certainly unparalleled, spate of retirements. From the Olympian (Adam Gilchrist, Sanath Jayasuriya, Anil Kumble, Brian Lara, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Pollock and Shane Warne) to the merely marvellous (Sourav Ganguly, Stephen Fleming, Jason Gillespie, Matthew Hayden, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Justin Langer, Stuart MacGill), these are all grievous losses. Throw in the ICL-enforced exits of Shane Bond and Mohammad Yousuf, add Marcus Trescothick's depression, and you have an entire tour party's worth of seemingly irreplaceable parts, in the medium-term at the very least. Seemingly.
Yet, lo and behold, over the course of those two years a galleon chockfull of young shipmates with greatness in their grasp has cruised seamlessly, almost effortlessly, into view. Enough, indeed, to comprise a 2014 World Test XI - Gautam Gambhir, Hashim Amla, Duminy, AB De Villiers, Ross Taylor, Shakib Al-Hasan, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma, Ajantha Mendis. Throw in Stuart Broad, Shaun Marsh and the Morkels and, while arguably a touch light on top-order heft, the depth of skill, flexibility and temperament would surely satisfy all but the very fussiest selector.
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