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- Proteas batting coach JP Duminy sees his role as one of earning the trust of the players daily.
- Duminy, a recent retiree from international cricket, has taken to coaching like a duck to water.
- Duminy is more than chuffed to work with newly-appointed white ball coach Rob Walter, someone he worked with as an international cricketer.
Proteas batting coach JP Duminy's role on the men's national team is something he sees as a journey to earn the everyday trust of the players.
He already speaks with the knowledge of a person who already knows the difference between being a player and a coach, even though he's still building his CV.
Thursday's washed-out ODI against the West Indies would have been his first as part of Rob Walter's coaching group, who embark on a new, but highly pressured journey.
Duminy, though, literally grew up from his early 20s into his mid-30s in the glaring limelight of international cricket
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He's more than ready for the step up after stints with the Lions as batting coach, the Paarl Rocks, and the Paarl Royals.
"You've labelled it as a father figure, but I see it as more as walking a journey with people on an individual basis," Duminy said.
"I think the batting coach title emphasises that a lot more. Can you build a relationship based on trust? That's an important thing and then there's the communication part.
"For me, it's about the ability to earn the trust of the players every single day. That is my goal and I'm glad you're seeing it from the get-go.
"It is my ambition to help these players go through different stages of their careers because there are a few younger guys, and they want to stamp their authority on international cricket."
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Duminy worked with Walter when he was still the Proteas' strength and conditioning coach, but the Walter he's dealing with now is extensively travelled.
Walter left the Proteas to join the Titans, from where he moved to New Zealand where he coached the Otago Volts and the Central Districts Stags.
Duminy's prior working experience with Walter when he was still a player has armed him with the necessary knowledge to make his coaching work even better.
"As much as we have specific areas that one will work on, there will be areas that will overlap," Duminy said.
"Especially when you don't have a specified assistant coach. The beauty of how Rob works is that he's very collaborative.
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"He's always asking questions about situations where we're needing to make decisions on and he doesn't see it as the sole purpose of himself.
"At the end of the day, he has to make the final decision, but what I enjoy about Rob with our long relationship has always been about the collaborative view.
"It's a great formula for inclusivity and how we'll go as a unit."
