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Cape Town - It hasn't been the easiest period for JP Duminy.
Dropped against England for both his home Test and ODI at Newlands this summer, the experienced left-hander has struggled to win over what is becoming an increasingly impatient cricketing public.
Duminy's class has never been questioned, but a dip in his bowling performance combined with his batting struggles in both Test and ODI cricket has raised eyebrows.
Having shown signs of a return to form with the bat in the recent ODI series win over England, Duminy was dropped for the fifth and final ODI after having posted scores of 13, 47, DNB and 31 previously in the series.
That knock of 31 saw him run-out captain AB de Villiers at the Wanderers when the match was very much in the balance before a Chris Morris masterclass won the game for the hosts.
Domingo said on Wednesday that the decision to drop Duminy for that game was not about form at all.
"As much as people try and keep criticism away from you and media speculation and constant scrutiny, it can weigh you down, and that was the feeling," Domingo said of the decision to play Rilee Rossouw in Cape Town.
"He’s (Duminy) played every single ODI game for us for the last six or seven months so it was a good time for us to give him a break."
Domingo said that he had no concerns over Duminy's form, and he questioned the constant public scrutiny hovering over the 31-year-old.
"He’s not in bad form he’s actually playing very well," said Domingo.
"The last T20 game we played (in India), we chased 200 and he actually won the game for us. He was the man of the series.
"JP is a quality cricketer. He’s a phenomenal cricketer for South Africa and has been for a long time.
"Unfortunately what happens if a player misses out once or twice, gets a bad decision or hits one or two bad shots ... people write him off. He’s a hell of a player and I’m expecting big things from him in this event (ICC World Twenty20)."
The Proteas take on England at Newlands on Friday in the first of two T20s before they host Australia in a three-match series.
