South Africa national cricket team wicketkeeper and batsman Quinton de Kock, 31, has kept CSA selectors and team management guessing about his availability for T20I cricket.
Quinton de Kock has already retired from Test and ODI cricket but is seen actively playing in T20 franchise leagues around the world. Regarded as one of the best batsmen to emerge from South Africa, de Kock shocked the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from Test cricket in 2021.
Moreover, he had announced before the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 that he would quit ODI cricket after the showpiece tournament and he did exactly that.
He last represented South Africa in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final and has since failed to feature for two consecutive T20I series played by the Proteas.
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Quinton de Kock is not on a central contract but is yet to officially announce his retirement from T20I cricket. This has raised questions about his availability for the national team, and South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter was asked the same question, to which he responded by saying that he doesn’t know anything at all.
“I don’t know, to be honest. For the next while, there will be no talks between Quinny and I about whether he wants to play for South Africa again. I’ve left the door open for him to approach me if he wants to do that. It’s possible that it may never happen,” Walter told a news conference.
We have to allow him to have his space, to play league cricket – Rob Walter on Quinton de Kock
Quinton de Kock remains more than capable and has been playing some sensational cricket across the franchise cricket circuit. The 31-year-old, who was South Africa’s leading run-scorer at the 2024 T20 World Cup, has played in Major League Cricket and the Caribbean Premier League and will next feature in SA20 and the Indian Premier League.
Meanwhile, the manager has also made it clear that Quinton de Kock is not guaranteed a place in the South African squad and that they will pick players based on their performances.
“There could be a conversation and that conversation initially means that it will lead to his selection,” he said.
“We have to allow him to have his space, to play league cricket and do what he needs to do. What will be increasingly important is performance. He’s not exactly old.” [de Kock is 31] “From now on, it’s a performance-based conversation.”
Rob Walter also gave an update on explosive wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen, who was not selected for the Afghanistan and Ireland series and recently pulled out of the CPL for personal reasons.
The Proteas coach said the wicketkeeper-batsman has been dealing with some family matters and remains unavailable but will soon return to the set-up once everything returns to normal.
“He’s got some family stuff to take care of right now,” Walter said. “As soon as that position changes, he’ll obviously be back playing.”
