Once upon a time I'd be quick to point out that Robin Peterson was in the Proteas fold for reasons other than talent.

It has taken him eight years to convince me otherwise, but this week's return to the limited-overs set-up is entirely warranted on the back of a truly transformational year for the 31-year-old all-rounder.

Putting to bed a severely punctuated international career, lined with more falls from favour and misguided comebacks than those that marred JP Duminy and Justin Ontong at the beginning stages of their respective careers, the past 12 months have seen Peterson rocket to the forefront of South Africa's World Cup preparations.

Moving from the Warriors to the Cobras and then enjoying a successful season with Derbyshire across England's competitive county circuit has done Peterson the world good.

The clean slate garnered in Cape Town has, to an extent, wiped out preconceived ideas of the type of cricketer he once was. No longer that player who tagged along for a tour as back-up spinner and middle-order option, Peterson's refreshed right is now that of a first-choice batting pick and left-arm spin alternative.

Playing for Division Two bottomfeeders Derbyshire certainly wasn't the most glamorous assignment, but stepping into a collective short on results and shy of the spotlight has had a positive effect on Peterson, who was able to test his batting skills and hone his bowling prowess free of much pressure or expectation. He succeeded on both fronts across four- and one-day competition abroad and for his successes returns to the Cobras and Proteas' plans the complete package.

How the national set-up choose to use him from here on in demands decisive action. Gone are the days when Peterson merely made up the numbers in the squad, occasionally filling in as batsman or bowler, depending on which code needed filling in for. The last thing the team or the player need is for his role to slip by the wayside as the status quo carry the starting XI. After a bit of a look-in against Zimbabwe, Peterson's post needs to be pinpointed against Pakistan with a view to the ODI showpiece next year.

His re-emergence as a topflight all-rounder hasn't just happened by those responsible for his development merely going through the motions. While that might've been the case at the Warriors, former Cobras coach Shukri Conrad and Derbyshire director of cricket John Morris were wise in exacting specific terms for their recruit. Corrie van Zyl and company need to follow suit.

At the very least, he must open the batting alongside Graeme Smith in the Twenty20 Internationals, while his being availed the chance to complement fellow spinner Johan Botha will vary according to the nature of the pitches in Bloemfontein and Kimberley and in the UAE.

The same stands for the ODIs, which will a) return Hashim Amla to his favoured position at three in the order and b) afford the team a much more attractive all-round option than one Roelof van der Merwe, whose crash from grace, incidentally, pales in comparison to the selectors' persistence with the lowly Loots Bosman.

Andrew Hudson hit the nail on the head recently when he insisted: "We only have a relatively small number of ODIs before the World Cup and it is our intention to go in with our strongest combination in all these matches."

If the convenor of selectors is to be kept to his professed "intention", Peterson needs to be featuring more often than not in the Proteas' starting XI across the next six months. The big question, though, is at whose expense?

Duminy, take note...