South African all-rounder Jean Paul Duminy has been ruled out of the ongoing Mzansi Super League due to a hamstring injury that he suffered in the lead up to his team Paarl Rocks’ opener against Cape Town Blitz on Sunday at the Boland Park.
Duminy was diagnosed with a high-grade partial tear to his right hamstring after he underwent MRI scans. The 35-year old is yet to feature in the MSL, after missing last year’s edition too due to a hand injury.
Paarl Rocks captain Faf du Plessis admitted that he is desperately disappointed for Duminy, and wished him a speedy recovery. “JP brings a lot of value in a lot of different areas. His experience will be missed, especially by the younger guys.
“I have full confidence in our team to bounce back from this. We have strengthened our batting this year and we’ll use this setback as motivation,” said Du Plessis.
Rocks head coach Adrian Birrell stated that the team is focused on the opening game against the Blitz and will think of his replacement after the opening games ends on Sunday.
“We will assess our options on Monday and then decide how to best replace JP,” he said.
This is the second injury that has impacted the Paarl Rocks side this season after Proteas batter Aiden Markram sustained an injury when he had smashed his hand in frustration during the recent tour of India.
Despite retiring from all international cricket after the World Cup, Duminy is one of the most experienced players in T20s and can be a match-winner on his day. He has a plethora of experience, having played T20 cricket in India, Pakistan, the West Indies and Canada.