Proteas lose JP firepower

The Proteas limped home from their unsuccessful tour to Australia yesterday to reveal the news that they will have to do without JP Duminy for at least one more match.

Duminy's lingering knee injury forced him out of the one-day series Down Under, which Australia won 4-1, having beaten SA - Duminy and all - 2-1 in the T20 rubber. The nuggety left-hander, the lynchpin of SA's middle order, will also miss at least the first Test against the West Indies next month.

But AB de Villiers thought it wise to say: "Playing in their home country, they will be one of the favourites [for next year's World Cup]. But I still believe we're a better team and we will be the team to beat at the World Cup."

It was an outlandish and dangerous statement from a captain whose men had been properly beaten by a side who are known to use whatever ammunition they can find to drill holes in their opponents' confidence.

The Proteas are not in the same World Cup group as the Australians, but they can be sure De Villiers's words will be bent out of shape and thrown back at them - tipped with venom - if they clash in the play-off rounds.

De Villiers pulled his weight as a player in the series - he was the top scorer on either side with 271 runs in four innings - but his team's performance mattered more.

"I did contribute, but I'm disappointed that I got out at crucial times," he said. "We were inconsistent; we didn't have that ruthlessness we've seen in the last 12 months or so."

He promised to put his actions where his mouth is: "We all get tired of talking after a while. We've got to step up now and do the basics really well."

Coach Russell Domingo also toed the positive line, albeit more cautiously.

"The scoreline wasn't a true reflection of the closeness of the series. For long periods, we competed and we had opportunities to win more than one game.

"But we're obviously disappointed in the result and we know a lot of hard work lies ahead before we head back to Australian shores in the next few months."

The Titans will not have De Villiers and Faf du Plessis to call on in their remaining Ram Slam T20 matches.

De Villiers cracked a rib while fielding in the fourth match of the ODI series in Melbourne, while Du Plessis has a hip problem.

Aaron Phangiso should have recovered from his hand injury within a week, while Imran Tahir and Vernon Philander need another week to get over hamstring and shoulder niggles.