Duminy backs 'returning star' Amla to be 'big bonus' for Proteas in third ODI against Pak

South African batsman Jean-Paul Duminy has backed veteran star batsman and his teammate Hashim Amla's return to be a 'big bonus' for his team in the third ODI against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

The second-ranked Test batsman left for home to attend the birth of his second child after the first of two Tests in the series, which ended 1-1 and missed the first two one-days before joining the squad on Sunday, despite the delay in the birth.

According to the Daily Times, Duminy said that Amla's return to the squad will be an added bonus and hoped that the veteran batsman will give good starts to South Africa, although he added that there is no guarantee that Amla will score runs in the upcoming ODI.

Stating that there would be no pressure on Amla to score, Duminy also said that he hoped that Amla could contribute to South Africa's batting performance, although he admitted that facing Pakistani slow bowlers on spin-friendly pitches is a big challenge as it is arguably one of the best bowling attacks in one-day cricket at the moment.

The fourth match will also be played in Abu Dhabi on Friday while the fifth and final will be held in Sharjah on November 11, following which the two teams will play two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai on November 11 and 13, the report added.