Coach Duminy pleased with impact made by Royals in SA20 league

Though he admitted he was gutted by his team’s ultimate result, Paarl Royals head coach JP Duminy was full of praise for the inaugural SA20 league, insisting the new series would lay the foundation for South Africa’s promising future on the cricket field.

The Royals were eliminated in a 29-run defeat to the Pretoria Capitals in their SA20 semi-final at the Wanderers on Wednesday night.

Having won just four of their 10 matches in the round robin stage, the Paarl outfit had ended fourth in the table, sneaking into the playoffs ahead of Durban’s Super Giants.

Duminy was nonetheless disappointed to see his side crashing out in the penultimate round.

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“We got a ticket into the dance, as they say, but unfortunately we weren’t good enough today,” Duminy lamented after their playoff defeat.

“I thought we competed for probably two thirds of the game… but they took it away from us, so it’s a tough pill to swallow but a great learning curve.”

The Royals boasted a powerful squad of local and international stars, and Duminy was pleased they had managed to make an impact in the new series.

The former Proteas star was also grateful for the opportunity to expand on his coaching skills.

“It’s been a great opportunity for me to stretch myself and learn by coaching some of the best players in the world and some of our best local talent,” Duminy said.

While the Royals were set to miss out on tomorrow’s final, with the Capitals turning out against either the Joburg Super Kings or Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the trophy contest at the Wanderers, Duminy was delighted with the inaugural SA20 tournament, which had attracted packed stadiums of spectators.

SA cricket’s bright future

He was confident the popular series would ensure a bright future for the sport in general, as well as the national team.

“I believe this is going to be a great value-add for South African cricket,” Duminy said.

“We’ve seen it at domestic T20 tournaments around the globe, how it’s influenced how their national teams have flourished in international cricket, and I believe in four or five years we’re going to see the fruits of what this tournament is going to do for our local players.”