When Jean-Paul Duminy marched into Test cricket 10 months ago, he left a mark that the game is unlikely ever to forget.

His performance in his debut series helped end a dominant sequence of 16 years by Australia in their own country, while it also enabled South Africa to beat their hosts 2-1 during the three-match series Down Under.

Ricky Ponting's side had not lost at home since the 1992-93 season against the West Indies and the arrival of the Proteas' latest batting prodigy raised hope of a new era in the five-day game.

The 25-year-old racked up a total of 246 runs in his maiden series, including a match-winning 166 in the second Test at Melbourne, which was the catalyst for his side moving into an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Now he is readying himself for another tough battle - this time against England, who regained the Ashes from Australia earlier this year.

Born in Strand, a beachside suburb of Cape Town, Duminy has set the cricket world alight during his second stint in the international arena.

A diminutive figure, Duminy has always been an extraordinary athlete, whether it be with the bat, ball or in the field.

He was always earmarked for stardom, even before he stepped onto the Newlands field in the colours of Western Province during the 2001-02 season.

At the tender age of 18, though, many critics still raised questions over his ability to command a regular place in his provincial side, but Duminy replied the next year, starting with a composed 116 in the second youth Test during South Africa's under-19 tour to England.

He followed that form up by averaging more than 70 in the 2003-04 season, prompting a one-day call-up by the Proteas, followed by a debut against Sri Lanka.

However, he failed to fire, scoring a total of 29 in five outings and that spelt the end of his first stint in the green and gold.

Duminy then returned to domestic cricket, where he was to learn more about his trade and more success with his province led to a recall two years later.

This time, he was here to stay and 10 ODIs later, he was handed his first Test call-up on a tour to Pakistan, but South Africa's settled batting order meant he had to wait his turn.

The opportunity finally arrived almost 12 months later when, after being named in the squad to tour Australia, he was suddenly thrust into the mix in the first Test at Perth after an injury to vice-captain Ashwell Prince.

He was out for one in the first innings, but hit back with a half-century in the next

to help the Proteas win the Test and followed that up with his remarkable knock at the MCG.

"It's incredible," his captain Graeme Smith said at the time.

"He has travelled with us for a period of time now, he's watched so many Test matches with us over the last year and a half from the sidelines, probably gaining a bit of experience, seeing what it's all about.

"A guy at this stage of his career, an innings like that can only really do wonders for him as a person."

That cemented his place in the side and he has now gone on to play six Test matches, all at the expense of Prince.

Although he has since failed to really kick on, he boasts a healthy 48.62 average and his handy off-breakers have netted two wickets.

The name Duminy was also on every cricket fan's tongue after that and his value in world cricket was illustrated by being one of the "top three picks" ahead of the second Indian Premier League auction.

He eventually sold for 950,000 US dollars - only Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff cost more - and featured prominently for the Mumbai Indians franchise in the tournament itself, finishing top of the batting averages in his team and was also second on the bowling list, despite an early exit.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell recently wrote that Duminy is the "blueprint for 21st-century batsmen", drawing comparisons to his fellow countryman Ponting, while another man who is not surprised by how he has progressed is national coach Mickey Arthur.

He said: "JP is a three-in-one player who has the ability to score very quickly, is a brilliant fielder and a useful bowler.

"We always had a plan for him, and that's why we took him into the team and kept him there. Now, he is getting the fruits of all the hard labour."

And playing in a batting line-up alongside the likes of Smith, AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis could only further enhance his progress.

The four-match series against England is certain to go a long way to determining how far he has come and how far he can go.