Former South Africa batter JP Duminy appointed provincial side Boland's head coach

Former South African player Jean-Paul (JP) Duminy has been appointed provincial side Boland's head coach for a period of two years.

Duminy was earlier working as a batting consultant for the Lions' franchise and was also part of the support staff during South Africa's ICC T20 WC 2021 campaign.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Duminy sounded excited about his coaching stint.

"I'm very excited, nervous and have all these emotions popping up. It's a great opportunity to get into the coaching space after playing. Boland is close to my heart. It has been down the road for many years, and, playing for the Cobras [in the franchise system], we spent a lot of time down in Boland," the left-hander said.

He also explained his association with Boland.

"The people in Boland mean a lot to me, and hopefully, this is an opportunity for us to get out into the community and get the team closer to the community once again and represent the people," he said. 

"I want to be a big part of that and get the players to understand what it means to represent the community. That's a big part of Boland and it extends far and wide beyond Paarl. That's a big thing for me.", the former Delhi Daredevils player explained.

The 38-year-old has played 46 Tests, 199 ODIs, and 81 T20I for South Africa, and was one of the mainstays of the national side's rise in red-ball cricket.

He has played franchise cricket across the globe for teams like the Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Islamabad United, and Cape Cobras.

James Fortuin, CEO of Boland Cricket, welcomed Duminy into the setup. 

"One of his biggest strengths is man-management. People like him. He has a huge amount of experience and brings a lot to the role."