JP Duminy will sit out the first three ODIs against Sri Lanka, but he has been included in the squad for the last two games in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town on March 13 and 16.
So, the Cape Flats allrounder has two weeks to find his touch for the Cape Cobras.
The Cobras line up against the Titans in the One-Day Cup at Newlands on Friday night.
Duminy has been batting in the nets for a while, but coach Ashwell Prince has had to keep him back as the 34-year-old wasn’t ready to bowl.
“Duminy’s batting is looking as strong as ever, but he feels uncertain about his bowling and his fielding.
He prides himself in his throwing arm and his ability to throw himself around in the field,” Prince said recently.
“He wants to make sure he can field as good as ever, and bowl.”
Hashim Amla will also be back in Cobras colours this evening as the Proteas selectors have given him a breather from the Sri Lanka ODIs to have a look at other options.
“I am excited about Amla batting at the top of the order and JP in the middle, and the fact that they are batting around our younger batsmen will add a lot for them,” Prince said in a statement yesterday.
Duminy will look to make an immediate impression, as the competition is fierce for a spot in the Proteas batting line-up.
Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla, Reeza Hendricks, Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen appear to be the settled top five, so Duminy’s best bet may be to challenge David Miller for the No 6 berth, or be an extra all-rounder at No 7.