Quinton de Kock, the Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman, has announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, Cricket South Africa (CSA) informed about the player’s decision via an official release. The announcement came following South Africa’s defeat in the first Test match against India, which India won by 113 runs in Centurion to take a one-nil lead in the three-match series.
The timing and reason for De Kock’s very early departure from the sport was explained as his desire to spend more time with his developing family. In the next few days, he and his wife are expecting the arrival of their first child.
De Kock made his Proteas Test debut in 2014 against Australia at Gqeberha. He scored 3,300 runs in 54 matches, with a best of 141 not out, at an average of 38.82 and a strike rate of 70.93. He has also completed six centuries and 22 half-centuries.
With 232 dismissals, including 221 catches and 11 stumpings, the former Test captain’s prowess as a wicket-keeper marked him apart on the international scene. The 29-year old also holds a personal high of six dismissals in an innings, which he achieved against England in Centurion in 2019. He has collected 48 catches in 11 matches in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship (47 catches and 1 stumping).
Quinton de Kock’s statement as stated in CSA’s official release reads as follows:
“This is not a decision that I have come to very easily. I have taken a lot of time to think about what my future looks like and what needs to take priority in my life now that Sasha and I are about to welcome our first child into this world and look to grow our family beyond that. My family is everything to me and I want to have the time and space to be able to be with them during this new and exciting chapter of our lives.
“I love Test cricket and I love representing my country and all that it comes with. I’ve enjoyed the ups and the downs, the celebrations and even the disappointments, but now I’ve found something that I love even more.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been a part of my Test cricket journey from the very beginning. To my coaches, teammates, the various management teams and my family and friends – I couldn’t have shown up as I did without your support.
“This is not the end of my career as a Protea, I’m fully committed to white-ball cricket and representing my country to the best of my ability for the foreseeable future.”
Cricket South Africa (CSA) Acting CEO, Pholetsi Moseki congratulated Quinton De Kock on an illustrious career and thanked him for his contributions to the team. He said, “It’s sad to lose a player of Quinton’s calibre at what we still see as the prime of his career and relatively young life, but family, as we all say here at CSA, is everything. He has been a loyal and proud servant of the Proteas team for the last seven years and we are glad that we have not lost him from the game entirely.
“We value his contribution to the team as a leader and we are grateful for the time and energy that he has given the team in years passed.
“We would like to wish him and Sasha all the best ahead of the birth of their little girl and we are excited to be gaining another member in our cricket family. We look forward to seeing Quinton at his fighting best in white-ball cricket.”
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